Preventing diabetes

[nodiabetes!]

Hello,

My father was diagnosed with type-2 diabetes in his mid-40’s, and many of his relatives also got it at early ages. I am trying to prevent it in myself, by eating a diet that is low in process sugar and in saturated fats and by getting daily exercise. I am also a vegetarian (I eat milk and egg products, and fish about every 3-4 months, but no other animal products).

I also eat a lot of fruit and drink a lot of juice every day. Should I also be avoiding fruits and juices? A lot of bodybuilding companies sell Creatine as a diet supplement to increase muscle mass. Would it be ok for me to take creatine? Should I avoid the creatine powders that are mixed with sugar?

BTW I am a 27 year old male in good health

Thank you very much

[Health Dr. 1]

It is excellent that you are taking a proactive role in your health in order to offset any potential genetic weakness. Regarding the fruit and juice, it is probably best not to drink processed fruit juice in excess because of the sugar content. I qualify this with processed fruit because much of the nutrients and virtually all of the fiber is removed from fruit juices when they are heat and processed. A better choice is fresh juice, particularly vegetable juice that is rich in nutrients and low in sugar. Whole fruits are digested much more slowly than juices and contain the necessary co-factors for your body to metabolize them. In addition, fresh fruit contains enzymes that help to support the function of the pancreas.

Your family history by itself should not prevent you from using creatine as a supplement. I would avoid the high-sugar versions as many people respond quite well without the insulin surge that is produced by these products. There are many products to choose from, but I would suggest a high-quality, German-made product such as CreaPure to make sure that impurities are not present.