Heart-health regimen helps cut diabetes risk

  If you are suffering from diabetes, then following some lifestyle and health patterns may prove to be good for your heart and can help prevent disorders, says a new study.

The study showed that individuals who were in the recommended, ideal ranges for at least four of Life's Simple seven health factors had a 70 per cent lower risk of developing diabetes over the next 10 years.

The Life's Simple seven health factors include maintaining healthy blood pressure, glucose levels and cholesterol, eating a healthy diet, exercising at least 150 minutes per week, not smoking and maintaining a healthy weight, said the paper published in the journal Diabetologia.

"This research adds to our collective understanding about how physicians can help their patients prevent a number of serious diseases, including heart disease, cancer and now diabetes," said K. Craig Kent, at The Ohio State University College in the US.

In addition, those in normal blood glucose levels who attained four or more guideline factors had an 80 per cent lower risk of developing diabetes, whereas those who were already diabetic or prediabetic and met four of the factors had no change in lowering their risk for diabetes, said Joshua J. Joseph, Assistant Professor at the university. For the study, the researchers included 7,758 participants and used the American Heart Association's Life's Simple seven as a guide for measuring heart health among the group.

"Healthy people need to work to stay healthy. Follow the guidelines. Don't proceed to high blood sugar and then worry about stopping diabetes. By that point, people need high-intensity interventions that focus on physical activity and diet to promote weight loss and, possibly, medications to lower the risk of diabetes," said Joseph.

Community outreach is essential in educating people about prevention and helping them start healthy habits. 

Furthermore, getting help to quit smoking or finding physical activities and healthy foods can be crucial in maintaining them in the long run and in preventing future health problems, the study noted.