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Family History Of Diabetes. What Can I Do To Prevent Getting Diabetes?
Question: i am 21yrs old, my mom and dad hav diabetics, do i hav chance of it, if s how can i avoid it
Hi XXXXXXX
Any person of Asian Indian origin has minimum of 25% chance of developing diabetes type 2 in his/ her lifetime. This chance goes up when the person has family history of diabetes. For you the risk is more than 70 percent. Now what should you do?
First, understand that there are N number of youths like you in India who have got this high chance of developing diabetes. If you see people around you almost 20 to 30 percent of them would be like you with both the parents having either diabetes or glucose intolerance making their children genetically prone for diabetes.
Second understanding has to be that any mental stress, overweight, eating unhealthy foods XXXXXXX in empty calories, driking alcohol, cold drinks, fruit drinks, and no exercise are the factors which increase your chance of diabetes to 95%. That too with early onset in life say by your early 30s.
Thirdly, if you determine and work on weight part, exercise regularly say for 40 to 45 minutes, eat moderately including fresh fruits and salads, no ready made food stuffs, no fried items and no calorie drinks, learn relaxation techniques then your chance of developing diabetes reduces to less than 40% and that too maintaining healthy lifestyle for longer years will delay development of diabetes beyond your 50s.
Fourth point is about marriage: Many people are apprehensive about such family history of genetic disorders. But as I mentioned a person of Asian Indian origin has already very high chances of developing diabetes even when there is no family history of diabetes as the lifestyle and thrifty genes play role. So even the prospective groom without family history of diabetes has high chance of developing diabetes if his lifestyle is unhealthy and if distant relatives are having diabetes type 2. So make him understand how he should be relaxed about your family history of diabetes.
I hope you got your answer. Please do not worry as it adds to the stress but start working towards healthier lifestyle even though you might now be overweight. This will lower and delay your chances of developing diabetes very very effectively.
Take care.
Any person of Asian Indian origin has minimum of 25% chance of developing diabetes type 2 in his/ her lifetime. This chance goes up when the person has family history of diabetes. For you the risk is more than 70 percent. Now what should you do?
First, understand that there are N number of youths like you in India who have got this high chance of developing diabetes. If you see people around you almost 20 to 30 percent of them would be like you with both the parents having either diabetes or glucose intolerance making their children genetically prone for diabetes.
Second understanding has to be that any mental stress, overweight, eating unhealthy foods XXXXXXX in empty calories, driking alcohol, cold drinks, fruit drinks, and no exercise are the factors which increase your chance of diabetes to 95%. That too with early onset in life say by your early 30s.
Thirdly, if you determine and work on weight part, exercise regularly say for 40 to 45 minutes, eat moderately including fresh fruits and salads, no ready made food stuffs, no fried items and no calorie drinks, learn relaxation techniques then your chance of developing diabetes reduces to less than 40% and that too maintaining healthy lifestyle for longer years will delay development of diabetes beyond your 50s.
Fourth point is about marriage: Many people are apprehensive about such family history of genetic disorders. But as I mentioned a person of Asian Indian origin has already very high chances of developing diabetes even when there is no family history of diabetes as the lifestyle and thrifty genes play role. So even the prospective groom without family history of diabetes has high chance of developing diabetes if his lifestyle is unhealthy and if distant relatives are having diabetes type 2. So make him understand how he should be relaxed about your family history of diabetes.
I hope you got your answer. Please do not worry as it adds to the stress but start working towards healthier lifestyle even though you might now be overweight. This will lower and delay your chances of developing diabetes very very effectively.
Take care.
Note: For further follow-up, discuss your blood glucose reports with our diabetologist. Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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