Diabetes Management

Type I diabetes will require a regular dose of insulin, as prescribed by a doctor.

Mild Type II diabetes may be controlled through diet and exercise, with little or no medicine. However, most Type II diabetes will eventually require oral medications to control the blood sugar level, and possibly insulin injection in the later stage of the disease.

The basic treatment strategy is to maintain good control over the amount of glucose in your blood, eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, and watch your weight. These will prevent the onset of diabetes mellitus.

BMI and waist circumference serve as convenient and fairly accurate measures of body fat. If the BMI is high but the waist circumference is normal, as with bodybuilders, there is no worry of excess body fat. If the BMI is normal but the waist circumference is large, as with men who have little fat around the face and arms but carry a potbelly, there is a worry of excessive intra-abdominal fat that carries a higher risk of coronary artery disease.

The ratio for waist and hip (waist/hip) is also important. It should be less than 1. Women should aim for a waist of 80cm and less than 90cm for men.