Neighborhood Access to Exercise and Healthy Food May Reduce Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
About 5% of the population of the US and Canada have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes usually occurs in adulthood and may be treated with diet, drugs and occasionally insulin. (Type 1 diabetes affects 0.25% of the population, and involves destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas which require lifelong insulin treatment ) Type 2 Diabetes is more common in overweight people and people who get little physical activity.
Type 2 diabetes often starts out relatively mildly and has few noticeable effects early on. However, long-term moderately elevated blood sugar levels (140 to 300 milligrams=mg of sugar per 100 milliliters=ml of blood) can cause many health problems including heart disease, stroke, kidney, eye and blood vessel problems, reduced resistance to infection and slower healing. Very high levels of blood sugar (over 300 mg per 100 ml) or very low levels of blood sugar (under 50 mg per 100 ml blood) can cause diabetic shock and other acute health problems.
Regular exercise and a well balanced, low sugar diet are essential for both preventing type 2 diabetes and for preventing mild type 2 diabetes from developing into serious health problems. Recent research has found that maintaining a healthy lifestyle may be easier in neighborhoods with easy access to healthy foods and exercise opportunities. A recent study examined neighborhood factors and the development of type 2 diabetes in 2,285 adults aged 45 to 84 years. The study involved adults in Baltimore, Bronx, NY, and Forsyth County, North Carolina. Access to exercise facilities (such as pleasant places to walk, bike trials, gyms, pools etc) and access to healthy food sources (supermarkets, health food stores, fish, fruit and vegetable stores) with 1 mile of home were recorded. Adults who lived in neighborhoods with good access to healthy foods and exercise opportunities had a statistically significant 38% lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Results were adjusted for such factors as socioeconomic factors, weight, age and family history of type 2 diabetes. This research is published in the October 12, 2009 Annals of Internal Medicine.
A well balanced, low sugar and high fiber diet can also reduce risk of type 2 diabetes. Doug Kaufmann’s well balanced, low sugar diets should reduce the risk of overweight and type 2 diabetes.
Several mycotoxins from molds (fungi) also seem to increase risk of diabetes. Several studies have also reported that living in a moldy environment can increase risk of type 1 and 2 diabetes.