Ageproof Your Body (Part 5)

LOWER YOUR BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS

High levels of sugar in the blood are a major risk factor for diabetes. It’s now estimated that up to 8% of South Africans are affected by this, while another 4-5% have blood sugar levels that put them at risk.

IF YOU DO NOTHING ELSE Shrink your tummy. Having a waist measurement of over 80cm puts you higher risk of diabetes. This is because chemicals released by tummy fat interfere with the way blood sugar is processed. Cutting kilojoules and following a diet of low GI are both proven ways trim your tum.


THE FOOD THAT HELPS Oats, becausethey’revpacked with fibre and slow the rate at which food is digested. This in turn lowers the speed at which sugar enters your system, reducing overall levels. Ideally, we would get a minimum of 18g of fibre a day. You’d get that from starting your day with a bowl of Weet-Bix, having a jacket potato and beans for lunch, then two handfuls of veggies with dinner.

YOUR EXERCISE PRESCRIPTION Incidental exercise. Like every other issue here, the more exercise you can do , the better. But, with blood sugar, what you do out of trainers is equally important. Studies published in the journal Diabetes Care show that people doing “incidental” activity, such as washing dishes by hand, lowered their blood sugar by 3% for every six hours the moved. This works because every movement you make uses sugar to fuel it.

*HOT OFF THE PRESS New studies have found that the supplement Pycnogenol (made from pine bark) can lower blood sugar by 17% in just three months. “It inhibits intestinal enzymes that break down carbohydrates, meaning sugar enters your bloodstream more slowly,” says the study’s author Dr Ross Watson.