My father was just diagnosed with diabetes. However, he has eight siblings and they have it too! That pretty much quadruples my chances of getting this disease. I am only 23-years-old. I exercise regularly (5'5", 150 lbs.), and try to monitor the types of foods that I eat. However, it's hard to determine which diet is best for my situation. Please give me some direction on this topic.

Thanks very much for your question about preventing diabetes when the genetic risk is higher than normal.

The best diet recommendation is one that is low in concentrated sweets, low in non-complex carbohydrates, and high in protein. In addition, the diet should be low in fat and low in cholesterol. There should be a strong emphasis on vegetables and fiber. Body weight should be kept on the lean side and daily exercise for 30 to 60 minutes is very helpful. (It sounds to me that you are already doing this now, though perhaps you could enhance your program a bit.)

There is excellent information on current diet recommendations available from your local chapter of the American Diabetes Association (ADA). There have been some recent revisions in the diet programs that they will send you.

In addition, medical researchers have been actively seeking medication regimens that could delay the onset of diabetes (or even prevent it) in genetically susceptible patients. You should be able to stay abreast of these developments through the ADA newsletters that are published regularly.

I hope this general information was useful to you. Good luck in your prevention strategies!

Bruce Biller, MD

First published April 2, 2003
Last updated February 11, 2008
Copyright © 2003 Consumer Health Interactive