Preventing Diabetes in Men

The Harvard School of Public Health conducted a study to find out if the consumption of more dairy products could reduce the risk of developing diabetes.  They tracked 41,000 men for 12 years who completed surveys and questionnaires on health issues and had no prior history of diabetes, cancer or cardiovascular disease. 

It was concluded that males who had a higher intake of dairy products had 9% less risk in developing Type 2 diabetes, also known as non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.   Just over 1200 men out of the 41,000 who participated in the study, were confirmed to have developed diabetes.  These males were not consuming 2 servings of low-fat dairy foods every day.  It was also determined that better results were obtained when consuming low-fat products. 

For most individuals 2 servings daily are recommended, unless the patient is suffering from other health conditions that could be affected by the consumption of dairy products.  A significant difference was made with skim milk in the statistics, but other low-fact products such as ice cream had contributed to reduce the risk level. 

Other factors such as your general diet, exercise plan and weight need to be considered to reduce the risk of developing diabetes.  Keep a healthy lifestyle by having a good exercise program, a nutritionally balanced diet and make sure to get enough sleep. And because of the apparent link between obesity and Type 2 diabetes, you could significantly reduce your chances of developing this disease by losing weight if you are overweight.