Can Type II Diabetes be controlled by lifestyle changes alone?

Type II Diabetes is a condition where the body is deficient in producing insulin, either it can't produce enough or the insulin it does produce doesn't work properly. This means the glucose levels in the blood can't be controlled and there is the potential for them to become too concentrated.

Traditionally Type II Diabetes was an illness that affected the older generation but more and more young people are discovering they have the disease. Experts believe this is due to higher obesity levels and lower activity levels throughout the UK.

So can lifestyle make a difference?

A healthier lifestyle can definitely deter the onset of Type II Diabetes in the first place. The risk factors are age, ethnicity (those of an Asian or Afro-Caribbean origin are more likely to contract Type II Diabetes), inactivity and obesity or being overweight. While you can't do anything about the first two risk factors, you can make a massive difference by watching your weight, particularly excess fat around your middle, and taking regular exercise.

But what if you have already been diagnosed with Type II Diabetes?

Many nutritional therapists believe that Type II Diabetes can be reversed by following a healthy low-GL (Glycaemic Load) diet, ensuring your weight is within the normal range, and taking regular exercise. By only eating meals that release sugar into your blood stream slowly and gradually, you put less pressure on the pancreas to produce insulin. In the short term, your body can cope with less efficient insulin because there is also a lesser need. And over time, this allows the body's production of insulin to improve.

The key to a low-GL lifestyle is always eating protein (which has no immediate effect on blood sugar) with carbohydrate and for all your starchy foods sticking to wholegrains - bread, pasta, rice etc. Eat as many vegetables as you like but stick to raw or steamed. Fruit is also good, but be careful - choose apples, pears and berries over banana's or grapes. And dried fruit might be rich in certain vitamins and antioxidants, but it is also very high in sugar. And don't think

Sam worked in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years and became more interested in the role diet and nutrition plays in people