Drinking coffee linked to lower risk of diabetes, heart disease and stroke, study finds. Here's how much you should be having

From yahoo.com

Good news for coffee drinkers: People who have one to three cups a day face a lower risk of developing diabetes, heart disease and other cardiometabolic conditions, new research suggests. The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, also found a link between other types of caffeine consumption and lower risk of these diseases — but experts warn that not all caffeinated drinks are created equal when it comes to your health.

See below for the latest on why a morning cup of joe might actually be beneficial for you and the best way to optimize your caffeine consumption.

What the study found

The researchers used data from the UK Biobank — which contains statistics on the diets of more than half a million individuals between the ages of 37 and 73 — to compare people’s caffeine consumption and health outcomes. Specifically, they looked at the links between consuming coffee, tea or caffeine in general with how likely they were to develop two or more of three cardiometabolic diseases: type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary heart disease.

They found that moderate caffeine drinkers — those having between one and three cups of coffee, or 100-300 milligrams of caffeine a day — were less likely than people who drank no caffeine or less than 100 mg a day to develop any of the three diseases. Risk was reduced by more than 48% for coffee drinkers, specifically. Those who drank a moderate amount of any caffeine were nearly 41% less likely to develop cardiometabolic diseases.

Benefits may be optimized around three cups of coffee per day, the study suggests. Those who drank this amount saw the greatest reduction in their risk of developing any one of the three diseases. And even after people were diagnosed with one of these diseases, moderate coffee drinking was still linked to a lower likelihood of eventually developing multiple cardiometabolic conditions (a common phenomenon; people with diabetes are between two and four times more likely to later have heart disease, per Johns Hopkins Medicine).

Tea drinkers, on the other hand, saw a reduction in their risk for type 2 diabetes, but not for stroke or heart disease, or for having multiple cardiometabolic diseases (the primary metric the researchers looked at).

Though experts say the study was of a high quality, they also underscore that the link shown between coffee or caffeine consumption and lower risk of these diseases doesn’t necessarily mean it proves that consuming these ingredients is responsible for protecting people’s health. “We have to look at the totality of evidence” from the many studies on coffee and caffeine, Dr. Luke Laffin, a preventive cardiologist with Cleveland Clinic, tells Yahoo Life. And that evidence doesn’t mean that coffee “is some cure for cardiovascular disease,” he says.

How might coffee or caffeine be protective?

Caffeine — in coffee or in any other food or drink— can be both friend and foe when it comes to heart health. The new study is only the latest to suggest a link between moderate consumption and heart and metabolic health. It’s not exactly clear why, but scientists theorize that it helps in several ways:

Dilating blood vessels: Caffeine may “relax the blood vessels,” says Laffin. However, it can also have the opposite effect. And for habitual coffee drinkers, it’s actually caffeine withdrawal that’s been linked to the opening of blood vessels, which allows blood to flow more efficiently, putting less stress on the heart and helping to keep blood pressure lower.

Lowering 'bad' cholesterol: Caffeine helps to keep levels of a protein known as PCSK9 relatively low, which in turn makes it easier for the liver to break down low-density lipoprotein (or "bad" cholesterol. Keeping bad cholesterol low is critical for good cardiometabolic health.

Coffee’s potential benefits are both more complex and better understood. Chiefly, coffee is loaded with antioxidants, including chlorogenic acid, Michelle Routhenstein, a dietitian who specializes in heart disease, tells Yahoo Life. “Coffee can be one of the only places that’s helping [some people] get antioxidants into their diet,” she notes.

The best way to consume coffee and caffeine

There can definitely be too much of a good thing when it comes to caffeine, experts tell Yahoo Life. “We never see a study that shows that drinking an energy drink helps cardiometabolic health,” says Routhenstein. “That’s too much caffeine, which can actually have negative effects on your cardiometabolic health,” such as raising your blood pressure and causing heart palpitations, she explains. Plus, there are a lot of other heart-unhealthy ingredients in soda and energy drinks, including often high doses of sugar or sugar substitutes and potentially harmful chemicals, such as those found in brominated vegetable oil.

When it comes to caffeine, “type and quantity are both important,” Routhenstein says. Coffee and tea are safer bets, but be aware that different types have different amounts of caffeine in them (though coffee generally contains more than tea). Routhenstein considers one to three cups of coffee a “good rule of thumb,” she says, but adds that not all cups are the same; a single 16-ounce mug is actually two servings. (For the record, the Food and Drug Administration recommends having no more than 400 mg of caffeine per day, and an 8-ounce cup of coffee contains about 96 mg of caffeine.).

And black coffee is best, experts say. “This [study] doesn’t mean you should drink the big caramel macchiato with all the sugar and whipped cream,” says Laffin. Have it with no additions, or with a little bit of milk or cream, he advises. (A pro tip from Routhenstein though: milk binds to antioxidants, making them less “bioavailable,” so you won’t be able to absorb as many of the beneficial nutrients.)

Routhenstein also warns that not everyone tolerates coffee well. Some people find it irritating to the stomach, or keep you up at night. And people with atrial fibrillation — a heart arrhythmia condition — should avoid coffee altogether. For people who react badly to coffee, Routhenstein recommends tea, even if the new study found it wasn’t linked to equally large reductions in risk of diabetes and heart disease.

And although the study’s results are encouraging, if you’re not a fan, that’s OK. “I don’t think I would say if you’re not drinking coffee that you absolutely should,” says Laffin. “For the average person, just try to enjoy your cup of coffee in the morning.”

https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/drinking-coffee-linked-to-lower-risk-of-diabetes-heart-disease-and-stroke-study-finds-heres-how-much-you-should-be-having-130015616.html 

The diet change around ultra-processed foods that can dramatically improve your health

From independent.co.uk

Certain foods are linked to a higher risk of developing diabetes 

A simple change to your diet can help reduce your risk of diabetes, a new study has suggested.

Replacing ultra-processed foods (UPFs) with foods that are less processed may reduce your risk. According to the findings, every 10% increase in the amount of UPFs in a person’s diet is linked with a 17% increase in diabetes risk, but this risk can be lowered by consuming less-processed foods instead.

This does not necessarily mean just unprocessed foods, but also refers to items that have not been processed to the highest level.

Even within UPFs, certain foods are linked to a higher risk of developing the condition, the findings indicate.

Research suggests that people who eat more UPFs are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes, and the new study found that the degree of food processing may have an impact on the level of risk.

The highest risk UPF groups were savoury snacks, animal-based products such as processed meats, ready meals, and sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened beverages.

The researchers say this suggests that particular attention should be paid to these foods, and they should be treated differently to breads and cereals.

Professor Rachel Batterham, senior author of the study from UCL Division of Medicine, said: “The UPF subgroup analysis in this study has been revealing and confirms that not all foods categorised as UPF are alike in terms of the health risks associated with them.

“Breads and cereals, for example, are a staple of many people’s diets.

“Based on our results, I think we should treat them differently to savoury snacks or sugary drinks in terms of the dietary advice we provide.”

Research suggests that people who eat more UPFs are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes (Alamy/PA)

Samuel Dicken, first author of the study from UCL Division of Medicine, said: “Most studies to date only consider UPF as a whole, but we also suspect that there may be different risks associated with different types of UPF, and the risks of other processing groups have not been well researched.

“Our analysis goes a step further than previous studies, by looking at all four processing groups in the Nova classification to gauge the impact on type 2 diabetes risk when we substitute UPF with less processed foods, as well as looking at nine UPF subgroups.

“The good news is that replacing UPF with less processed foods was associated with a reduced type 2 diabetes risk.”

The degree of processing in foods is most often assessed using the Nova classification, which divides foods into four groups.

These are unprocessed or minimally processed foods (MPF) such as eggs, milk and fruit, and processed culinary ingredients (PCI) such as salt, butter and oil.

Processed foods (PF) are items such as tinned fish, beer and cheese; and UPFs are ready meals, savoury snacks, sweets and desserts.

The new study, led by researchers at UCL, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe in collaboration with experts at the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London, analysed UPF intake and health outcomes for 311,892 people from eight European countries over 10.9 years on average.

During this time 14,236 people developed type 2 diabetes.

Researchers from UCL analysed data from the Epic study, which has investigated the relationship between diet, lifestyle, and environmental factors, and the incidence of chronic diseases in more than half a million Europeans over time.

Further analysis separated UPFs into subgroups – bread, biscuits and breakfast cereal; sauces, spreads and condiments; sweets and desserts; savoury snacks; plant-based alternatives; animal-based products; ready meals; artificially and sugar-sweetened beverages; alcoholic drinks; other ultra-processed foods – in order to better understand how the level of processing affects type 2 diabetes risk.

Alongside analysing how eating UPFs affected someone’s risk of developing diabetes, the researchers modelled how replacing one of the classifications with another would affect risk.

The results suggest that substituting 10% of UPF in the diet with 10% of MPF/PCI reduced type 2 diabetes risk by 14%.

Substituting 10% of UPFs with 10% of PF reduced diabetes risk by 18%, the study suggests.

The experts say this may be down to the fact that 30-50% of PF intake in this study came from beer and wine, which have been associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes in a previous Epic study.

PF also includes salted nuts, artisanal breads, and preserved fruits and vegetables.

Analysis of the nine UPF subgroups showed that savoury snacks, animal-based products, ready meals, and sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened beverages were linked to higher incidence of type 2 diabetes.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/ultra-processed-foods-diabetes-diet-b2613515.html

These 4 ultra-processed foods can raise your type 2 diabetes risk more than others: study

From nypost.com

Ultra-processed foods have long held a bad reputation for having lots of calories, sugar, fat and salt — now, UK researchers have identified the four types most likely to lead to Type 2 diabetes. 

The highest-risk UPFs are savoury snacks, animal-based products such as processed meats, ready-to-eat meals and beverages sweetened by sugar or an artificial substitute, according to a study published Sunday in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe. 

“This study … confirms that not all foods categorized as UPF are alike in terms of the health risks associated with them,” said senior author Rachel Batterham, a professor of obesity, diabetes and endocrinology at the University College London.

The researchers analysed the UPF consumption of nearly 312,000 people from eight European countries. The participants were tracked for around 11 years on average — during that time, almost 15,000 developed Type 2 diabetes.

The study authors linked every 10% increase in UPFs to a 17% rise in diabetes risk.

                             Sugar is fuelling the obesity crisis. It’s been linked to diabetes, cell damage and chronic inflammation.                                                                                         Rawpixel.com – stock.adobe.com

Participants could lower this risk by substituting unprocessed or minimally processed foods (MPFs) — such as eggs, milk and fruit — or processed foods (PFs) — such as tinned fish, cheese, salted nuts, artisanal breads and preserved fruits and vegetables.

The researchers divided UPFs into nine groups:

• Breads, biscuits and breakfast cereals
• Sauces, spreads and condiments
• Sweets and desserts
• Savoury snacks
• Plant-based alternatives
• Animal-based products
• Ready-to-eat/heat mixed dishes
• Artificially and sugar-sweetened beverages
• Alcoholic drinks
• Other UPFs

Among the people who ate the most UPFs — where these foods made up nearly a quarter of their diet — sweetened beverages accounted for nearly 40% of their UPF intake and 9% of their overall diet.

High amounts of sugar in the blood have been shown to damage cells, spurring chronic inflammation, which has been associated with heart disease, diabetes, liver disease and cancer.

On the other side, the authors of the new study found UPF breads, biscuits and breakfast cereals, sweets and desserts, and plant-based alternatives were associated with lower incidence of diabetes.

“Breads and cereals, for example, are a staple of many people’s diets,” Batterham said. “Based on our results, I think we should treat them differently to savoury snacks or sugary drinks in terms of the dietary advice we provide.”

Obesity and Type 2 diabetes are widespread public health crises in the US, so dietary choices are top of mind.

“The findings from this study add to the growing body of research that links consumption of UPF with higher risk of certain chronic diseases including obesity, cardiometabolic diseases and some cancers,” said Marc Gunter, an author of the study from Imperial College London.

Gunter added: “While such a study cannot determine causal relationships, it does suggest that reducing consumption of some UPF and replacing them with unprocessed, whole foods, might lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. Further research to understand mechanisms and potential causal pathways is now needed.” 

The UCL team is conducting a trial to assess UPFs versus MPFs, with results expected to be published next year.

https://nypost.com/2024/09/15/lifestyle/4-ultra-processed-foods-can-raise-diabetes-risk-more-than-others-study/

Blood Sugar Worries Keep Many With Type 1 Diabetes From Exercise

From healthday.com

Key Takeaways

• People with type 1 diabetes often avoid exercise out of fear of a blood sugar crash

• However, this fear was eased by education on managing insulin and carbohydrates around exercise

• Exercise can actually help type 1 diabetics improve their overall health and blood sugar control

• 
  

• Fear of a having a low blood sugar crash dissuades many people with type 1 diabetes from getting the exercise they need, a new study finds.

  However, people were more likely to engage in exercise if their doctor discussed how to manage their diabetes while working out, researchers reported Thursday at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Madrid.

  “In order to break down the barriers to physical activity and empower our patients to exercise safely and effectively, we need to improve the education we provide and our dialogue about exercise in clinics,” said lead researcher Catriona Farrell, a clinical senior lecturer in diabetes with the University of Dundee in Scotland. “In turn, this should help them to achieve the multitude of health benefits that exercise offers.”

  Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks the pancreas, severely damaging or destroying its ability to make insulin. As a result, people must constantly monitor their blood sugar levels and take insulin daily.

• People with type 1 diabetes can receive a multitude of health benefits from regular exercise, Farrell said.

  “Regular exercise can help individuals with diabetes to achieve their blood glucose goals, improve their body composition and fitness, as well as reduce their risk of heart attacks and strokes, which is higher in people with type 1 diabetes,” Farrell said in a meeting news release.

  “Yet many people living with type 1 diabetes do not maintain a healthy body weight or manage to do the recommended amount of physical activity each week,” Farrell added.

  For this study, researchers surveyed 463 men and women with type 1 diabetes, asking them about 13 factors that would keep them from exercising regularly over the next six months.

  These factors included loss of control over diabetes, the risk of hypoglycaemia, the fear of being tired, concerns over getting hurt, a low fitness level and a lack of support from friends or family.

  Results showed that worry over a blood sugar crash was indeed a major reason some diabetics shun exercise.

  However, people were less fearful of hypoglycaemia if they understood the importance of adjusting insulin dose and carbohydrate intake before and after exercise, researchers found. Both those strategies can prevent a blood sugar crash caused by physical activity.

  People also felt better about exercise if they talked about it with a health professional in a diabetes clinic, results show.

• https://www.healthday.com/health-news/diabetes/blood-sugar-worries-keep-many-with-type-1-diabetes-from-exercise 

Obesity rate reaches 20% of U.S. adults

From healio.com 

Key takeaways:

• One in five adults, or 20%, in each state have obesity.
• Obesity was also prevalent in Native American or Alaskan Native, Hispanic and Black adults.

Obesity prevalence among adults remained high in the United States in 2023, with one in three adults living with obesity in 23 states, according to new CDC data.

This number is up by one state from 2022, while no state had an adult obesity prevalence at or above 35% before 2013, according to a CDC press release.

                                                      Data derived from press release

Now, 20% of adults — or one in five — in each state have obesity.

“Th[ese] new data highlight the need for obesity prevention and treatment options, which start with building healthier communities where people of all ages have safe places for physical activity, and where health care and healthy food options are accessible and affordable for all,” Karen Hacker, MD, MPH, the director of CDC's National Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, said in the release.

Obesity prevention at young ages “is critical, because we know that children with obesity often become adults with obesity,” Hacker added.

“This is one of the reasons why we prioritize state and community investments in effective child care and family healthy weight programs.”

The 23 states where 35% or more of adults have obesity include: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Of those states, Arkansas, Mississippi and West Virginia had an obesity prevalence of 40% or greater.

Additionally, Guam and Puerto Rico had an obesity rate of at least 35% or higher.

According to the release, combined 2021 to 2023 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System data showed obesity impacted some diverse groups significantly more than others.

For example, Asian adults did not have an obesity prevalence of 35% or higher in any states among 38 states, one territory and Washington D.C., whereas white adults had an obesity prevalence of 35% or greater in 16 states out of 47 states, two territories and Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, American Indian or Alaska Native adults had an obesity prevalence of 35% or above in 30 of 34 states, whereas Hispanic adults had an obesity prevalence of 35% or greater in 34 states out of 47 states, one territory and Washington, D.C.

Among 46 states, one territory and Washington, D.C., Black adults had an obesity prevalence of 35% or more in 38 states.

Obesity prevalence differed by age, with younger adults less likely to have obesity vs. middle-aged adults. Adults aged 18 to 24 years had the lowest prevalence of obesity (19.5%), whereas adults aged 45 to 54 years had the highest (39.2%).

“Obesity is a complex disease. There's a common misconception that obesity is a result of lack of willpower and individual failings to eat well and exercise,” Ruth Petersen, MD, the director of CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, said in the release. “Many factors contribute to obesity like genes, certain medications, poor sleep, gut microbiome, stress, access to affordable food, safe places to be active, and access to health care. Understanding these factors helps us identify potential prevention and treatment strategies.”

https://www.healio.com/news/primary-care/20240912/obesity-rate-reaches-20-of-us-adults?utm_source=selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news

Artificial pancreas shows promise in people with type 1 diabetes on kidney dialysis

From medicalxpress.com

Automated insulin delivery systems have, for the first time, been tested for people with type-one diabetes and end-stage kidney disease. The results found that they were safe and able to offer improvements in managing the patient's blood glucose.

An automated insulin delivery system (also known as an artificial pancreas) consists of an insulin pump and a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system with a control algorithm that works together to automatically deliver the appropriate amount of insulin dependent on the level of glucose.

This technology has been proven to improve blood sugar levels and quality-of-life for people living with diabetes. However, using such technology can be challenging for some people, such as those living with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) that requires them to be on haemodialysis.

This is due to the impact of the disease and kidney replacement therapy, which causes problems for the body in clearing insulin and also affects glucose levels.

                                                                                      Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Despite these associated risks, there is very little understanding of whether automated insulin delivery is safe and effective for people with type 1 diabetes and ESKD. For the first time, a new study led by Dr. Janaka Karalliedde and his colleagues at Guy's and St Thomas Hospital tested this with four people living with type 1 diabetes on haemodialysis for ESKD.

Follow-ups after four-and-a-half months with the patients found there were significant improvements in important metrics for glucose control and the technology was able to be safely used.

Published in Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, results showed that patients spent significantly more time in their target range of glucose levels in the blood, and a reduced amount of time spent within this target. They also showed a reduced average blood glucose, daily insulin dose, and better glucose management indicator scores—though these were not considered statistically significant.

Current research on people living with diabetes and ESKD has almost solely focused on type 2 diabetes, leaving a significant gap in our understanding of how effective and safe it is to use automated insulin delivery devices for type 1 diabetes.

Among people living with type 1 diabetes, those who also have ESKD experience the highest rates of hospitalization and A&E visits for blood sugar-level emergencies. These factors have meant that previous studies and algorithm development for automated insulin delivery haven't accounted for the experiences of such people, or other high-risk groups for people with diabetes.

"These initial results are promising and highlight the urgent need for more studies of diabetes technology in people with kidney failure who are often not included in this area of research. We hope this study can be the first step towards conducting studies that use larger, real-world data that can help us better identify how to use automated insulin delivery systems to support people living with both type 1 diabetes and ESKD," says Dr. Karalliedde, Clinical Reader in Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease.

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-artificial-pancreas-people-diabetes-kidney.html 

Weekly Insulin Injections As Effective for Diabetes as Daily Shots, Studies Show

From healthday.com

Key Takeaways

• A new form of weekly insulin can control type 1 and type 2 diabetes as well as daily injections

• The weekly shot involves a new class of insulin called efsitora

• Such shots would allow for easier control of blood sugar than daily jabs, researchers say

• 
  

Weekly insulin shots can help control both type 1 and type 2 diabetes as well as daily injections do, a pair of clinical trials have found.

A new class of insulin called efsitora alfa has been designed to require injections only once a week, researchers said.

Two phase 3 trials presented Tuesday at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes annual meeting in Madrid show that efsitora is as safe and effective as standard daily insulin shots:

• One trial in 928 people with type 2 diabetes found that weekly efsitora controlled blood sugar levels as well as a long-acting form of insulin called degludec.

• The other trial found that once-weekly efsitora also performed as well as daily degludec in 623 people with type 1 diabetes.

“A once-weekly insulin has the potential to simplify dose administration and diminish barriers to starting insulin therapy by means of a reduction in injection burden as compared with a once-daily insulin,” wrote the team behind the type 2 diabetes trial, which was led by Dr. Carol Wysham, an endocrinologist with the MultiCare Rockwood Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology in Spokane, Wash.

"Traditionally, basal insulins are dosed once a day -- a treatment schedule that can make compliance difficult for a significant portion of people living with type 2 diabetes," said Wysham said in a news release from drug maker Eli Lily. "Efsitora has the potential to address treatment burden and improve adherence -- all while lowering A1C. These results can make a significant impact for people living with type 2 diabetes looking for a once-weekly option that provides similar outcomes as daily insulins."

In both clinical trials, which lasted 52 weeks, researchers randomly assigned participants to taking either efsitora or degludec insulin.

The major difference in the results between the two trials involved hypoglycemic (low blood sugar) events.

The type 2 diabetes trial found no statistically significant difference between efsitora and degludec when it came to hypoglycemia.

But hypoglycemia occurred more often for type 1 diabetics taking efsitora (10%) compared with degludec (3%), results show.

More work is needed to figure out the best dose “to maintain efficacy while mitigating the risk of hypoglycemia with weekly efsitora treatment in people with type 1 diabetes,” concluded the type 1 diabetes trial team led by Dr. Richard Bergenstal, executive director of the HealthPartners Institute's International Diabetes Center in Minneapolis.

"People with type 1 diabetes need insulin every day. Currently, they can deliver the insulin using an automated insulin delivery system or by taking a daily basal insulin injection and multiple mealtime insulin injections each day," Bergenstal explained in an Eli Lilly news release. "This new data shows that with one dose a week of basal insulin, efsitora was able to achieve a similar A1C reduction as taking an injection of one of the most used background insulins every day. I look forward to further evaluation of these data, including ways to minimize hypoglycemia, so once-weekly insulin can be one option for personalizing the management of type 1 diabetes."

The type 2 diabetes trial also found that efsitora worked well in diabetics even if they were taking a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic.

“Given treatment guidelines and recommendations to incorporate GLP-1 receptor agonists earlier in treatment, along with their growing use worldwide, it is relevant to show that efsitora can be effectively and safely added to such therapy,” Wysham’s team concluded in a meeting news release.

Type 1 diabetes is an inherited condition in which the immune system destroys or damages the body’s ability to make insulin. People with type 2 diabetes develop resistance to insulin, which also can destroy or damage the ability to make insulin.

Results from the type 2 diabetes trial were published Sept. 10 in the New England Journal of Medicine, while results from the type 1 trial were published Sept. 10 in The Lancet.

https://www.healthday.com/health-news/diabetes/weekly-insulin-injections-as-effective-for-diabetes-as-daily-shots-studies-show 

Five surprising things that raise your risk of Type 2 diabetes

From telegraph.co.uk

A new study reveals night owls are more likely to develop the disease – we look at the risk factors as well as the preventative measures 

We all want to avoid chronic illnesses and, with rates on the rise due to soaring obesity levels, Type 2 diabetes is one that’s at the forefront of many people’s minds. Every week, the condition leads to hundreds of amputations, strokes and heart attacks and thousands of heart failure cases.

However, implementing small, sustainable lifestyle changes can prevent or delay weight gain, says Naveed Sattar, a professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow. Here are five habits that may be raising your risk – plus Prof Sattar’s tips to undo the damage.

1. You’re eating the wrong thing for breakfast

                      Breakfasts that are high in sugar, such as pain au raisins, can lead to Type 2 diabetes Credit: Getty

Eating a sugary breakfast – whether that’s sugary cereal, pastries or snack bars – may be a sign your diet is high in calories and low in fibre, says Prof Sattar.

“People who eat sugary breakfasts are generally eating other dense calories, which leads to weight gain” – the biggest risk factor for Type 2 diabetes – he explains. Additionally, it’s unlikely that they’re eating enough fibre, which is a nutrient that controls appetite, he notes. 

“You get to the point where your weight is so high that you can’t store it as subcutaneous fat (pinchable fat under the skin) so high amounts end up in places where it shouldn’t be, such as the liver,” he says. The liver is responsible for maintaining healthy blood sugar levels but when it becomes clogged up with fat, “it keeps making sugar in excess, which causes Type 2 diabetes”, he explains.

However, some people, such as those who do lots of exercise, may be able to eat a high-sugar breakfast without raising their risk of Type 2 diabetes, as they burn those calories off, he notes. For the vast majority though, it’s worth rethinking how they start the day.

How to combat the risk: Swap to a low-sugar, high-fibre option, such as shredded wheat. “It is more slowly absorbed by the gut and engages appetite signals, to help with eating fewer calories,” Prof Sattar explains.

2. You have wine every night

“There are tons of calories in alcohol,” Prof Sattar notes. A 175ml glass of wine contains 159 calories, meaning one per night adds up to 1,100 calories – nearly as much as two pizzas over the course of the week, which will fuel weight gain. The calorie intake from alcohol is even higher if your tipple of choice is a pint of beer (182) or cider (216).

As well as being calorific itself, alcohol also leads to a rapid drop in blood sugar levels, as a result of the liver focusing on breaking down alcohol rather than releasing sugar into the bloodstream, he explains. “That may mean you’ll eat more the next morning,” he says.

One glass of wine per night adds up to 1,100 calories each week Credit: Getty

Additionally, research suggests giving up alcohol for just one month leads to weight loss and lower risk of Type 2 diabetes. While researchers don’t know how long this effect lasts, they note that it shows the impact of alcohol on Type 2 diabetes risk.

How to combat the risk: Cut back on alcohol and swap to lower calorie options, such as spirits (61 calories) with tonic or soda. “Drinking less may help with your weight as well as reducing the other toxic effects of alcohol on the liver, blood vessels and brain,” Prof Sattar notes.

3. You spend too much time sitting down

“Being sedentary means you’re probably sitting in the house more often, so you’re not burning calories,” Prof Sattar explains. “But secondly, it also provides you with more opportunities to eat, often out of boredom.”

Additionally, researchers, who monitored the blood sugar levels of 37 people over a fortnight, found that those who spent prolonged periods of time sitting at higher levels, while those who broke up sitting more often with standing or walking had lower levels.

“If you’re walking the dog or going out to meet friends, you’re not likely to be eating a packet of crisps while doing that,” Prof Sattar says. “More time at home leads to more eating just because we find eating food so pleasurable.”

How to combat the risk: “One simple tip I give patients is to try and walk an extra five minutes a day, which is equivalent to 500 steps,” he says. To motivate yourself, find a nice walking route, listen to a podcast on your walk or find a friend to join you. “Then, increase your walk to 10 minutes and longer – start low, go slow,” Prof Sattar says. 

4. You’re adding salt at the dinner table

Just like with sugar, people who add salt to their meals are also at risk of eating too much. 

Researchers at Tulane University in the US, who analysed the diet patterns of around 400,000 people in the UK, found that those who reported “always” adding salt to their meals were 39 per cent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes compared to those who “never” or “rarely” did so. People who “sometimes” added salt to their food faced a 13 per cent higher risk, jumping to 20 per cent for those “usually” added it.

The team suggested that added salt likely causes people to eat bigger portions, leading to weight gain, rather than salt itself causing Type 2 diabetes. 

“It makes food taste nice, encourages overeating, and also leads people to drink more,” Prof Sattar explains. “If that’s a sugary drink, that can further fuel weight gain.”. 

How to combat the risk: Cut back on eating salty food and adding salt at the dinner table, which will also benefit blood pressure – the biggest risk factor for strokes, Prof Sattar suggests. The NHS recommends that adults have no more than 6g of salt per day.

5. Your sleep time changes by more than one hour each night

Previous research has shown that people who have irregular sleep patterns – meaning the time they spend sleeping varies by more than one hour each day – face a third higher risk of developing the condition than those who have more regular sleep.

Adding further weight to the importance of sleep, a study that is set to be presented at a diabetes conference this week, which looked at 5,000 people, found that those who had late bedtimes were around 50 per cent more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.

Prof Sattar says links between sleep and Type 2 diabetes are most likely to do with eating patterns. “Sleep and your appetites are strongly linked,” he explains. “If you have a poor night’s sleep, you generally tend to overeat over the next few days.”

Also, if you don’t get enough sleep, your energy levels may be lower the next day, meaning you have less motivation to be physically active, Prof Sattar notes.

How to combat the risk: Try to develop habits that are supportive of good sleep, Prof Sattar recommends. “For example, don’t look at your phone for at least half an hour before bed and don’t check emails late at night,” he says. Avoid eating dinner too late or snacking before bed, though if you do snack, opt for a small handful of nuts over chocolate or crisps, he adds.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/conditions/diabetes/five-surprising-things-that-raise-risk-of-type-2-diabetes/