Around 700,000 Australians have been diagnosed as diabetic, and about the same number again are unaware that they have diabetes. About 85% of those diagnoses involve type 2 diabetes - a condition that is largely preventable and manageable.

Risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes include being overweight, having high blodd pressure and cholesterol, being physically inactive, increasing age, having a family history of diabetes, and having gestational diabetes during pregnancy. People from some ethnic backgrounds are also at greater risk.

If are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you can reduce its impact. A diagnosis can be an opportunity to improve your health through diet and lifestyle. So if you have been diagnosed, what can you do?

Take Responsibility
The risks associated with type 2 diabetes can be serious – but you can reduce those risks. Self-management and looking after yourself are critically important. Educating yourself and managing the condition is largely up to you. Look after your diabetes and you can minimise its impact.

Get Your Family Checked
Family history is a key risk factor. If a person has type 2 diabetes and was diagnosed before age 50, then their child will have a 1 in 7 chance of developing the condition. If both parents have been diagnosed, then the risk of their child developing the condition rises to 1 in 2.

Check Yourself
Testing blood sugar is important so a reliable source of diabetes medical testing supplies is essential. Keeping these levels as normal as possible can reduce and mat prevent long-term complications. Recording blood sugar levels via a blood glucose monitor, identifying things you do that may cause the levels to rise, and making dietary and lifestyle changes to avoid unhealthy rises in the future will help you manage diabetes to reduce complications.

Look At What You Eat
One effective way to manage type 2 diabetes is to eat helthier foods. Reducing your intake of high fat and quick releasing (high glycaemic index) sugar foods helps control blood sugar levels and cholesterol, and ensures you don’t gain weight. An emphasis on fruits, vegetables, grains and lean meat is a useful guide for everyone, not just diabetics. Eating smaller meals on a regular basis can reduce increases in blood sugar levels.

Get Moving
Increasing your physical activity, even if it is only by 20 minutes a day, can help you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight. Small changes such as walking 20 or 30 minutes a day do make a difference. You don’t need to spend a lot of money at a gym. Losing 5% of your body weight brings health benefits and prevent or delay complications from diabetes.

Put Your Best Foot Forward
Diabetes can lead to slower wound healing and, as a result, higher risk of infection. Trimming your nails and cutting the skin around the nail can be a problem for diabetics. If you do get a cut or blistering on your feet, get treatment quickly. Dry your feet thoroughly to avoid fungal infections and moisturise your feet regularly to avoid dry, cracked skin that can become infected.

Eyes Right
Diabetes can affect your eyes and cause issues such as optic nerve damage and corneal ulcers. Have your eyes checked at least annually. Make sure to tell the optometrist you have diabetes if it is your first visit.

Have A Shot
Consider a flu vaccine during winter, because if your diabetes is not well controlled it can weaken your immune system.

Understand Your Medication
Medication is often required as the years go on. People sometimes stop taking medication because they don’t think it is important. A certain medication may not make you feel better and it may cost you money, but medication in diabetes plays a critical role in the prevention of conditions you may be at risk of.

Reduce Stress
At least a third of people living with diabetes have depression. Trying to manage an illness and lead a normal life can be stressful. However stress hormones can act against the body’s ability to control sugar. When you are stressed it is easy to forget your diabetes management routine, so find something to help you deal with stress. If you have a good understanding and a healthy respect for your condition, it can be less stressful and have less impact on your life.