Simple Steps toward Lowering Glucose Levels

By Linda Orlando

Diabetes, a disease that used to be considered fairly rare decades ago, is now sweeping the country. The dramatic rise in numbers of people with type 2 diabetes is attributable almost entirely to lifestyle. The American lifestyle is becoming more and more centered on fast food, irregular and hectic schedules, and sedentary activities. Before your lifestyle leads you down the path to diabetes, you can take steps now to avoid it. If you have already been diagnosed, these easy recommendations can help you manage and possibly overcome it.

Food is the key: less of some kinds, more of others.
It’s obvious that lowering your sugar intake will help to lower glucose levels in your blood. Lowering carbohydrates overall also has dramatic effects. Bread, pasta, rice, pastry, and some types of fruits and vegetables can all contribute to a rise in blood sugar. But other foods actually help to lower blood glucose levels. One of the most surprising foods that can provide a host of health benefits for diabetics is cinnamon. Regular, daily intake of cinnamon improves glucose control and cholesterol levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

The journal Diabetes Care reported on a study of 60 people with type 2 diabetes who consumed cinnamon daily for 40 days, and they all saw dramatic improvements. Amounts as small as 3-6 grams per day can reduce fasting glucose levels by 20% or more, lower triglycerides 20-30%, and cut cholesterol levels as much as 25%. Researchers say that including cinnamon in your diet will reduce risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.

Get moving, but there’s no need to run a marathon.
Researchers have discovered that even the smallest amount of daily exercise can help to lower blood glucose levels. And it’s easy to add a little bit of extra movement into your day without having to adjust your schedule or set aside a specific time to exercise. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs, Instead of finding a parking spot close to the front door, pick one at the outside of the lot. When it’s time for a break, head out the door for a quick walk around the building instead of sitting in the break room.

Surprisingly, researchers in Austria have discovered that walking downhill is more effective than walking uphill for reducing blood glucose levels. A team of researchers led by Heinz Drexel of the Voralbert Institute had 45 healthy, sedentary people walk on a steep mountain for 3 to 5 days a week, because they didn’t think walking downhill would provide much health benefit. But they were startled to discover that downhill walkers were better able to get their blood sugar under control.

Put your glucose levels to sleep.
According to Phyllis Zee, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, people with diabetes have a harder time sleeping well and are more prone to daytime sleepiness, insomnia, and restless leg syndrome. Sleep apnea, which interrupts breathing during sleep, seems to affect many people with type 2 diabetes. Apnea has been shown to correlate with blood glucose levels and contribute to the severity of diabetes.

The connection between sleep apnea and diabetes is unclear, but trying to get a better night’s sleep may help your body control hormones and prevent oxidative stress, which can occur when the body’s tissues don’t get enough oxygen. And if you aren’t breathing well during sleep, your oxygen saturation levels can be dropping, causing your blood sugar levels to rise. Doctors advise that diabetics who are overweight with risk factors for sleep apnea should get screened. Treating sleep apnea can have a potential impact not only on diabetes, but also on other health problems and how you feel in general.

Bask in the sunshine of lower glucose levels.
Low levels of vitamin D in the body have been linked to insulin insensitivity and lowered glucose tolerance. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry reported findings from a study that indicated that sunlight can help the body counter low levels of vitamin D. Sunlight helps the body produce D3, which is essential for maintaining healthy funciton8ing of the beta cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin. Experts suggest that sitting in full sunlight for 20 to 30 minutes, at least three times a week, can help maintain calcium levels and help lower blood glucose levels.

Changing your lifestyle in even these small ways can help you manage the basic physiological factors that affect blood glucose levels. Even minor changes in diet, exercise, sleep, and stress can result in dramatic improvements in your health and well-being.