Keep It Under Control

By Editorial Staff

Keeping your blood sugar (glucose) levels stable is critical for reducing your type 2 diabetes risk. If you don't have type 2 diabetes, consider yourself fortunate; it, along with obesity (a big risk factor for diabetes) are epidemic in the United States, and the figures seem to be getting worse by the day. For obese individuals who've already been diagnosed with diabetes, it's even more important to keep blood glucose under control; more so than weight loss, suggests recent research. Here's why.

Controlling blood sugar if you're obese and suffering from diabetes reduces your cancer risk, according to findings published in Diabetes Care. Obesity also elevates the risk of developing several types of cancer, but researchers have discovered that keeping blood glucose in line can help mitigate that risk, even if the extra weight remains. That's because among obese patients with type 2 diabetes, those who lost weight via bariatric surgery reduced their cancer risk significantly – but those who regulated their blood sugar / eliminated their diabetic state (regardless of whether they had weight-loss surgery or lost weight) reduced cancer risk even more significantly.

Of course, blood sugar control often involves eating better foods (vegetables, whole grains, etc.) and avoiding more of the "bad" ones that can raise glucose levels sky high (added sugars, processed flour, etc.). Often, changing eating habits in this manner can promote weight loss; which means you can improve your health on three levels at once. No obesity, no diabetes, lower risk of cancer: now who wouldn't want that?

red blood cell - Copyright – Stock Photo / Register Mark



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