Diabetes is an epidemic of our time and is presently the main challenge confronting the Australian health care system. More than 300 Australians develop diabetes every day, that is, one person every five minutes.

Pre-diabetes is a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, although not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. People with pre-diabetes are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This condition does not have any signs or symptoms, therefore, most people do not become aware that they have pre-diabetes until they get tested.

There is no longer any serious doubt that conditions such as obesity, diabetes and certain forms of cancers are metabolically related diseases. It is also widely accepted that lifestyle and dietary habits have profound effects on metabolic health. Therefore, lifestyle interventions play a critical role in reversing and preventing pre-diabetes from turning into diabetes.

For patients who have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, lifestyle interventions are a key foundation for their care. Lifestyle medicine provides evidenced based strategies including advice on proper nutrition, dietary patterns and physical activity for managing type 2 diabetes.

Some of the risk factors for developing pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes include:

• Overweight and obesity

• Sedentary lifestyle

• Unhealthy diet

• Past History of Gestational diabetes

• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)

Our mission at LifeMed is to prevent and treat pre-diabetes and effectively control type 2 diabetes with evidence-based lifestyle interventions in combination with conventional medicine guidelines to achieve optimal results.

Dr Mehdi is a specialised GP and has a special interest in lifestyle medicine which focuses on preventing, treating and reversing chronic conditions with lifestyle interventions.

Book a lifestyle medicine consultation today to discover how lifestyle interventions can assist with the treatment and management of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes.