Prevention

If you or someone you know has diabetes mellitus, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."

The chances of developing serious complications from diabetes decrease dramatically by adhering to the following:

• eat a healthy diabetic diet,
  
  
• exercise regularly,
  
  
• monitor blood sugars, and
  
  
• take diabetic medications as prescribed.

Even if you have not been diagnosed with diabetes mellitus, eating healthy, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and not smoking are advisable. 

This is especially important in light of the new, more accurate definition of diabetes mellitus that estimates 41 million people in the United States have "pre-diabetes," a condition that significantly increases the risk for developing this disease.