y found that people who racked up 30 minutes of moderate activity five times a week have a much lower risk of the disease than those who don't exercise regularly. Get everyone moving by scheduling a nightly after-dinner family walk.
Make sleep a priority "Inadequate sleep reduces your body's ability to produce and respond to insulin, which may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes," Dr. Albright says. One study found that people who regularly slept five or fewer hours a night were almost twice as likely to develop diabetes than those who slept seven hours a night. Quality counts too, so if you think you're sleeping enough but are still tired, get screened for apnea, sleep-disordered breathing and restless leg syndrome. Each of these has been linked with impaired glucose tolerance, a pre-diabetic condition.
Unwind for at least 10 minutes a day Stress is unavoidable; it's how you deal with it that makes the difference. "Chronic stress can trigger inflammation in the body, which may lead to insulin resistance and raise diabetes risk," says David Nathan, MD, director of the Diabetes Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and a professor of medicine at Harvard. If you make decompressing a daily habit, your body won't be as damaged by stress when it hits.
Lose weight if your BMI is too high Excess weight can lead to chemical changes that increase diabetes risk as well as cause inflammation, says Dr. Nathan. Ideally your BMI should fall in the normal range (under 25), but even losing 5 to 7% of your weight—which translates to 10 to 15 pounds for someone who weighs 200 pounds—can dramatically reduce your risk of developing diabetes, according to the Diabetes Prevention Program.
"I stopped diabetes in its tracks"
Lisa Schaffer, 22, senior at Penn State University
When I was 16, my periods disappeared and didn't come back for more than a year. I also started feeling hungrier than usual and became much more muscular. My doctor wasn't concerned—he said these symptoms were probably cropping up because I worked out a lot—but my mom wasn't so sure. When she spotted some dark hair growing on my belly, she took me to another doctor.
This doctor ordered a battery of blood tests, which showed that I had polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal and metabolic disorder that's often associated with insulin resistance. He put me on birth control pills to regulate my periods and gave me another drug, called spironolactone, to counteract the excessive amount of male hormones that my body was producing.
Everything seemed under control until two years ago. I started breaking out a lot and craving sweets all the time, which caused me to quickly gain about 20 pounds. I used to be really energetic and upbeat, and all of a sudden I was depressed, sluggish and really uncomfortable in my body.
Finally, an endocrinologist who specializes in PCOS diagnosed me with pre-diabetes. She encouraged me to cut down on refined carbs (like white bread, pasta and sweets) and to get more exercise. She also prescribed a slew of drugs, including metformin, which she said would help get my blood sugar under control.
I now take eight pills a day, which is more than my grandmother takes! But it's worth it: I've lost weight, have more energy, and feel more like my old self again.
"I was in denial"
Deborah Freeman, MD, MPH, 57, ob-gyn at MetroHealth Medical Center in Cleveland
In 1995 I found out that not only did I have type 2 diabetes, but my blood sugar was in the 300s! [Normal is less than 100.] The doctor who diagnosed me gave me a shot of insulin right there in the office.
As a physician, I shouldn't have been shocked. I had gestational diabetes while I was pregnant with my second child 10 years before, and my weight had crept up to 205 pounds (I'm 5'5"). I was also starting to feel thirsty all the time and running to the bathroom. But I was too busy to worry about my health until I developed Bell's palsy (a temporary paralysis of half my face) and shingles. That's when I went to the doctor who diagnosed me with diabetes.
She prescribed oral 