I Can Lower My Risk For Type 2 Diabetes

I CAN LOWER MY RISK FOR
TYPE 2 DIABETES
A Guide for American Indians
U.S. Department
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
of Health and
National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse
Human Services

A Native Physician’s Thoughts
Dear Friends,
As a Native physician practicing in Indian communities, I have seen the
devastating changes diabetes has caused among our people. American
Indians are more than twice as likely to develop diabetes than the rest of the
U.S. population, and we are more likely to develop complications of diabetes
once we have the disease.
Despite these higher risks, Indian communities can work toward preventing
diabetes with modest lifestyle changes. For years we have assumed that
losing weight and exercising will lower our risk of developing diabetes. With
the results of the Diabetes Prevention Program, we have not only conﬁrmed
that it is true, but we now know that the changes needed to reduce our risk
of diabetes are not as big as we thought. We do not have to completely
return to the lifestyle of our ancestors to prevent diabetes. We can take
small steps toward achieving big rewards.
Donald K. Warne, M.D, C.D.E, M.P.H.
Oglala Lakota

Research Gives Hope Diabetes Can Be Prevented
Although people with diabetes can prevent or delay complications by
keeping blood glucose (also called blood sugar) levels close to normal,
preventing or delaying the development of type 2 diabetes in the ﬁrst place
is even better. The results of a major federally funded study, the Diabetes
Prevention Program (DPP), give hope that we can prevent or delay the
disease. This study of 3,234 people at high risk for diabetes showed that
moderate diet and exercise, resulting in a 5- to 7-percent weight loss, can
delay and possibly prevent type 2 diabetes. More than 170 American
Indians participated in the DPP.
Study participants were overweight and had higher-than-normal levels of
blood glucose, a condition called pre-diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance.
The participants were chosen because being overweight and having pre
diabetes increases a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The DPP tested two approaches to preventing diabetes: changing one’s
lifestyle compared to taking a pill. People in the lifestyle change group
exercised about 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week, usually by walking, and
they lowered their intake of fat and calories. Those who took the diabetes
pill metformin received standard information on exercise and diet, as is done
in an Indian Health Service clinic or tribal physician’s ofﬁce.
The DPP results show that people in the lifestyle change
group reduced their risk of getting type 2 diabetes by
58 percent. Average weight loss in the ﬁrst year of
the study was 15 pounds. Lifestyle change was even
more effective in those 60 years and older. They
reduced their risk by 71 percent. People who took
metformin and received standard information on
exercise and diet reduced their risk by 31 percent.
“After I started
exercising and
watching what I eat, my blood
glucose levels returned to normal.”

Contents
1 What is diabetes?
2 What are the signs and
symptoms of type 2 diabetes?
2 What does pre-diabetes mean?
3 What factors increase my risk
for type 2 diabetes?
4 Should I be tested for diabetes?
4 How can I lower my risk for
diabetes?
12 Hope Through Research
13 Daily Food and Drink Tracker
13 Daily Physical Activity Tracker
16 For More Information

What is diabetes?
Diabetes causes blood glucose levels to be above normal. People with
diabetes have problems converting food to energy. After food is eaten, it is
broken down into a sugar called glucose. Glucose is then carried by the
blood to cells throughout the body. The hormone insulin, made in the
pancreas, helps the body change blood glucose into energy. People with
diabetes, however, either no longer make insulin, or their insulin doesn’t
work properly, or both.
Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is the most common type in American Indians. It can occur
at any age, even during childhood. People develop type 2 diabetes because
the cells in the muscles, liver, and fat do not use insulin properly.
Eventually, the body cannot make enough insulin. As a result, the amount
of glucose in the blood increases while the cells are starved of energy. Over
time, high blood glucose damages nerves and blood vessels, leading to
problems such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney failure, and
amputation.
Other kinds of diabetes
Type 1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is rare in American Indians. People develop type 1 diabetes
when their bodies no longer make any insulin. Type 1 is usually ﬁrst
diagnosed in children or young adults, but it can develop at any age.
Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes is ﬁrst diagnosed during pregnancy. It occurs when the
body doesn’t use insulin properly. Having an American Indian family
background raises the risk of developing gestational diabetes. Although this
form of diabetes usually goes away after the baby is born, a woman who has
had it is more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.
1

What are the signs and symptoms
of type 2 diabetes?
Many people have no visible signs or symptoms of diabetes. Symptoms can
also be so mild that you might not notice them. More than 5 million
people in the United States have type 2 diabetes and do not know it.
Look for
➜ increased thirst
➜ increased hunger
➜ fatigue
➜ increased urination,
especially at night
➜ unexplained weight loss
➜ blurred vision
➜ sores that do not heal
What does pre-diabetes mean?
Pre-diabetes means your blood glucose is higher than normal but not high
enough for a diagnosis of diabetes. When you have pre-diabetes, you’re at
risk of getting type 2 diabetes and heart disease. There are no visible
symptoms of pre-diabetes. The good news is, if you have pre-diabetes, you
can lower your risk of getting diabetes. With modest weight loss and
moderate physical activity you may even return to having normal blood
glucose levels.
2

What factors increase my risk
for type 2 diabetes?
If you have certain conditions, you’re more likely to develop type 2
diabetes. The more of these conditions you have, the higher your risk.
Check each item that is true for you. Then show this list to your doctor.
My mother had diabetes when I was born.
I am overweight.
I have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes.
My family background is American Indian.
I have had gestational diabetes, or I gave birth to at least one baby
weighing more than 9 pounds.
My blood pressure is 140/90 or higher, or I have been told that I
have high blood pressure.
My cholesterol levels are higher than normal. My HDL
cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) is below 35, or my triglyceride
level is above 250.
I am fairly inactive. I exercise fewer than three times a week.
“I didn’t know I had diabetes until I
had a blood test at the clinic.”
3

Should I be tested for diabetes?
Anyone 45 years old or older should consider getting tested for diabetes. If
you are 45 or older and overweight, getting tested is strongly recommended.
If you are younger than 45, overweight, and have one or more of the risk
factors, you should consider testing. Ask your doctor for a fasting blood
glucose test or an oral glucose tolerance test. Your doctor will tell you if you
have normal blood glucose, pre-diabetes, or diabetes.
How can I lower my risk for
diabetes?
You can do a lot to lower your risk.
The small steps you take can lead to
big rewards.
➜ Reach and maintain a reasonable
body weight.
➜ Make wise food choices most
of the time.
➜ Be physically active every day.
“My
➜ Take your prescribed medicines.
great grandmother told me
Doing these things can reduce your risk of
to breastfeed my child so the
developing type 2 diabetes. Keeping your
baby would be healthy.”
blood pressure and cholesterol on target also
helps you stay healthy.
If you are pregnant, plan to breastfeed your baby. Ask your doctor for
the names of people to call for help learning to breastfeed. Besides
being good for your baby, breastfeeding is good for you. Studies done
with the help of Pima Indian volunteers have shown that breastfeeding
may lower the baby’s risk of becoming overweight and getting diabetes.
4

Getting Started
Making changes in your life such as eating less can be hard. You can make
the changes easier by taking these steps:
➜ Make a plan to change something that you do.
➜ Decide exactly what you will do and when you will do it.
➜ Plan what you need to get ready.
➜ Think about what might prevent you from reaching your goal.
➜ Find family and friends who will support and encourage you.
➜ Decide how you will reward yourself—with a nonfood item or
activity—when you do what you have planned.
Your doctor, a nutritionist, or a counselor can help you make a plan.
Reach and Maintain a Reasonable
Body Weight
Your weight affects your health in many ways. Being overweight can keep
your body from making and using insulin correctly. The extra weight may
also cause high blood pressure. The DPP showed that losing even a few
pounds can help lower your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, because
weight loss helps your body use insulin more effectively. Every pound you
lose lowers your risk of getting diabetes. In the DPP, people who lost 5- to
7- percent of their body weight lowered their risk of developing type
2 diabetes. A 5- to 7-percent weight loss for a 150-pound person, for
example, would be about 7 to 10 pounds. If you’re overweight, choose
sensible ways to lose weight.
➜ Don’t use crash diets. Instead, eat smaller servings of the foods you
usually have, and limit the amount of fat you eat.
➜ Increase your physical activity. Aim for at least 30 minutes of exercise
most days of the week. Do something you enjoy, like biking or
walking with a friend.
➜ Set a reasonable weight-loss goal, such as losing about a pound a
week. Aim for a long-term goal of losing the number of pounds
that’s right for you.
5

Choosing My Weight Loss Goal
Losing 5- to 7- percent of your total weight can help lower your risk of
getting type 2 diabetes. You are more likely to lose weight if
➜ you’re physically active
➜ you cut down on fat and calories
Use these steps to choose a goal. Talk with your doctor and your
nutritionist about your goal and how to reach it.
To ﬁnd your weight loss goal for losing 5 percent of your weight, ﬁll
in the blanks.
My weight _________ multiplied by .05 is __________ pounds.
To ﬁnd your weight loss goal for losing 7 percent of your weight, ﬁll
in the blanks.
My weight _________ multiplied by .07 is __________ pounds.
Write your goal here:
To lower my risk of getting type 2 diabetes, my goal is to lose
about ___________ pounds.
Write down what you will do to lose weight. I will:
Choose a date to start your plan for losing weight and write it here:
Start date: ___________________
Look ahead to when you think you can meet your goal. Allow about a
week for each pound or half-pound you’d like to lose. Write the date for
meeting your goal here:
End date: ___________________
6

Make Wise Food Choices Most of The Time
What you eat has a big impact on your health. By making wise food choices,
you can help control your body weight, blood glucose, blood pressure, and
cholesterol.
➜ Keep track of what you eat and drink. People who keep track are more
successful in losing weight. You can use the Daily Food and Drink
Tracker form on page 14 to write down what you eat and drink.
➜ Take a close look at the serving sizes of the foods you eat. Limit serving
sizes of main courses (such as meat), desserts, and other foods high in
fat. Increase the amount of fruits and vegetables at every meal. See
page 8 for tips on choosing sensible serving sizes.
➜ Limit your fat intake to about 25 percent of your total calories. Your
doctor or nutritionist can help you ﬁgure out how many grams of fat to
have every day. You can check food labels for fat content. For example,
if your food choices add up to about 2,000 calories a day, try to eat no
more than 56 grams of fat. See page 9 for ways to lower the fat in your
meals and snacks.
➜ Cut down on calories by eating smaller servings and by cutting back on
fat. People in the DPP lifestyle change group
lowered their daily calorie total by an
average of about 450 calories. Your
doctor or nutritionist can work with
you to develop a meal plan that
helps you lose weight.
➜ Choose healthy commodity foods
(items provided by the
government to help people
consume a nutritious diet),
including those lower in fat.
➜ When you meet your goal, reward
yourself with something special, like a
“Having
new outﬁt or a movie.
fruit for dessert
instead of sweets has helped
me lose weight.”
7

Choose Sensible Serving Sizes
Amount of food
Types of food
Size of one serving (the same size as:)
3 ounces
meat, chicken, turkey, or ﬁsh
the palm of a hand
1 cup
cooked vegetables
an average-
salads
sized ﬁst
casseroles or stews, such as
chili with beans
milk
1/2 cup
fruit or fruit juice
half of an average-
starchy vegetables, such as
sized ﬁst
potatoes or corn
pinto beans and other dried beans
rice or noodles
cereal
1 ounce
snack food
one handful
1 Tablespoon
salad dressing
the tip of a thumb
1 teaspoon
margarine
a ﬁngertip
8

Ways to Lower The Amount of Fat in Your Meals
and Snacks
1 Choose lower-fat foods.
Example:
Instead of sunﬂower seeds (20 grams of fat),
choose pretzels (1 gram).
Savings: 19 grams.
2 Use low-fat versions of foods.
Example:
Instead of regular margarine (5 grams of fat),
use low-fat margarine (2 grams).
Savings: 3 grams.
3 Use low-fat seasonings.
Example:
Instead of putting butter and sour cream on your baked potato
(20 grams of fat), have salsa (0 grams).
Savings: 20 grams.
4 Cook with less fat.
Example:
Instead of making fried chicken (31 grams of fat),
roast or grill the chicken (9 grams).
Savings: 22 grams.
Remember that low-fat or fat-free products still contain calories. Be
careful about how much you eat. In fact, some low-fat or fat-free
products are high in calories. Check the food label.
9

Be Physically Active Every Day
Regular exercise tackles several risk factors at once. Activity helps you lose
weight; keeps your blood glucose, blood pressure, and cholesterol under
control; and helps your body use insulin. If you are not very active, start an
exercise program slowly. Talk with your doctor ﬁrst about what kinds of
exercise would be safe for you. Then make a plan to increase your regular
physical activity.
➜ Keep track of what you do for exercise and how long you do it. Use
the Daily Physical Activity Tracker form on page 15 to keep track of
your physical activity.
➜ Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity
a day most days of the week.
➜ Incorporate physical activity into
plans with family and friends.
Set a good example for your
children. Play softball on
weekends. Go on a family
hike.
➜ Be active every day. For
example, walk to the store,
clean the house, or work in the
garden, rather than watch TV.
Getting Started on a Walking
“Walking makes
Routine
me feel good.”
Walking is a great way to be physically active. Before you get started, talk
with your doctor about whether it’s OK for you to walk for exercise. Then
get comfortable shoes that provide good support. You can use the chart on
page 15 to start your routine gradually. Try to walk at least 5 times a week.
Build up little by little to 30 minutes a day of brisk walking.
10

My Walking Program
Week
Warm up time
Fast walk time
Cool down time
Total
number
(minutes)
(minutes)
(minutes)
(minutes)
Walk slowly
Walk briskly
Walk slowly
1

5
5

5

15

2

5
8

5

18

3
5
11
5
21
4
5
14
5
24
5
5
17
5
27
6
5
20
5
30
7
5
23
5
33
8
5
26
5
36
9+
5
30
5
40
Source: Small Steps. Big Rewards. Your GAME PLAN for Preventing Type 2
Diabetes. A publication of the National Diabetes Education Program.
Take Your Prescribed Medicines
Some people need medicines to help control their blood pressure or
cholesterol levels. If you do, take your medicines as directed. Ask your
doctor if you should take any medicines to prevent type 2 diabetes.
11

Hope Through Research
With the help and participation of many Pima Indian volunteers over the
years, scientists at the National Institutes of Health have been able to
identify several ways health care providers can take better care of people
with diabetes. We know keeping blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood
cholesterol under control is very important. We know pregnant women
with diabetes need to keep their blood glucose under control so their babies
will be healthy and have a lower risk of getting diabetes. We know
breastfeeding, even for a few weeks, helps protect babies from becoming
overweight and developing diabetes.
We also know that many people who might otherwise develop type 2
diabetes can prevent it by exercising regularly, lowering the amount of fat
and calories they eat, and losing weight. Researchers are also studying the
genetic and environmental factors that can lead to pre-diabetes and
diabetes. As they learn more about the events that lead to diabetes,
researchers hope to develop more ways to prevent diabetes and take care of
those who already have diabetes. People with diabetes and those at risk for
it can be part of research studies that test promising new approaches to
prevention and treatment. For information about current studies, see
www.ClinicalTrials.gov or call the National Diabetes Information
Clearinghouse at 1–800–438–5383.
12

Keeping Track
Daily Food and Drink Tracker
Use the form on page 14 to keep track of everything you eat and drink.
Make a copy of the form for each day. Write down the time, the name of the
food or drink, and how much you had. For a free booklet with information
on fat grams and calories, call the National Diabetes Education Program at
1–800–438–5383 and request a copy of the Game Plan Fat and Calorie
Counter. Or view it online at www.ndep.nih.gov/diabetes/pubs/GP_FatCal.pdf.
SAMPLE
DATE
December 1, 2006
DAILY FOOD AND DRINK TRACKER
Time
Name
Amount
Fat Grams
Calories
8:00 am
oatmeal
1/2 cup
1
80
fat-free milk
1 cup
0
90
Daily Physical Activity Tracker
Use the form on page 15 form to keep track of your physical activity. Make
a copy of the form for each day. Write down what you do and for how long.
SAMPLE
DATE
December 1, 2006
DAILY PHYSICAL ACTIVITY TRACKER
Type of Activity
Minutes
Walking
20
Gardening
10
13

Daily Food and Drink Tracker
DATE
Time
Name
Amount
Fat Grams
Calories
TOTALS
14

Daily Physical Activity Tracker
DATE
Type of Activity
Minutes
TOTAL
15

For More Information
National Diabetes Education Program
1 Diabetes Way
Bethesda, MD 20892–3600
Phone: 1–800–438–5383
Fax: 703–738–4929
Internet: www.ndep.nih.gov
National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse
1 Information Way
Bethesda, MD 20892–3560
Phone: 1–800–860–8747
Fax: 703–738–4929
Email: ndic@info.niddk.nih.gov
Internet: www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov
The National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC) is a service of the
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).
The NIDDK is part of the National Institutes of Health under the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. Established in 1978, the
Clearinghouse provides information about diabetes to people with diabetes and
to their families, health care professionals, and the public. The NDIC answers
inquiries, develops and distributes publications, and works closely with
professional and patient organizations and Government agencies to coordinate
resources about diabetes.
Publications produced by the Clearinghouse are carefully reviewed by both
NIDDK scientists and outside experts. The original version of this booklet
was reviewed by Donald K. Warne, M.D., C.D.E., M.P.H.; William C.
Knowler, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.; and Mary Hoskin, M.S., R.D. It was also
reviewed by American Indian health care providers who work with the
National Diabetes Education Program. Comments from members of the
Indian Health Service, the Gila River Indian Community, and other American
Indian communities have also been included.
This publication is not copyrighted. The Clearinghouse encourages users of this
booklet to duplicate and distribute as many copies as desired. This booklet is also
available at www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov.
16

The authors and reviewers of this prevention information wish to thank
the tribal leaders, American Indian Communities, health care facilities
that supported the DPP, and the many American Indians who
participated in the DPP. Their generous gifts of time and energy are
bringing the message that small steps result in big health rewards for all
American Indians.
17

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases
NIH Publication No. 06–5337
December 2005

Document Outline

Contents
What is diabetes?
What are the signs and symptoms of type 2 diabetes?
What does pre-diabetes mean?
What factors increase my risk for type 2 diabetes?
Should I be tested for diabetes?
How can I lower my risk for diabetes?
Getting Started
Reach and Maintain a Reasonable Body Weight
Choosing My Weight Loss Goal
Make Wise Food Choices Most of the Time
Choose Sensible Serving Sizes
Ways to Lower the Amount of Fat in Your Meals and Snacks
Be Physically Active Every Day
Take Your Prescribed Medicines
Hope Through Research
Keeping Track
For More Information