What You Can Do to Maintain Your Health

Don't smoke or use tobacco.

Smoking and using tobacco are very dangerous habits. Smoking causes 440,000 deaths in the United States every year. More preventable illnesses (such as emphysema, mouth, throat and lung cancer, and heart disease) are caused by tobacco use than by anything else. The sooner you quit, the better.

Limit how much alcohol you drink.

This means no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. One drink is equal to 1 can of beer (12 ounces), a 4-ounce glass of wine or a jigger (1 ounce) of liquor.

Too much alcohol can damage the liver and contribute to some cancers, such as throat and liver cancer. Alcohol also contributes to deaths from car wrecks, murders and suicides.

Eat healthy.

A healthy diet has many health benefits. Heart disease, certain cancers, stroke, diabetes and damage to your arteries can be linked to what you eat. By making healthier food choices, you can also lower your cholesterol and lose weight.

Exercise.

Exercise can help prevent heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis and depression. It can also help prevent colon cancer, stroke and back injury. You'll feel better and keep your weight under control if you exercise regularly. Try to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes, 4 to 6 times a week, but remember that any amount of exercise is better than none. 

Diabetes and Alcohol: Proceed With Caution

Hoping for a beer at the ball game, or a glass of wine with dinner?

If you have type 2 diabetes, that's probably OK as long as your blood sugar is under control, you don't have any complications that are affected by alcohol (such as high blood pressure), and you know how the drink will affect your blood sugar, according to the American Diabetes Association.

An alcohol-containing drink a day might even help your heart (though if you don't already drink, most experts say that's not a reason to start).

In moderation, alcohol may cut heart disease risk

According to a study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, women with type 2 diabetes who drank relatively small amounts of alcohol had a lower heart-disease risk than those who abstained. A second study found that men with diabetes had the same reduction in heart risk with a moderate alcohol intake as non-diabetic men.

In general, the recommendations for alcohol consumption for someone with type 2 diabetes are the same as anyone else: no more than two drinks per day for men and no more than one drink per day for women. (Make sure to measure: A drink serving is 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of hard liquor such as scotch, gin, tequila, or vodka.)

People with diabetes who choose to drink need to take extra care keeping food, medications, alcohol, and blood sugars in balance.

Janis Roszler, RD, a certified diabetes educator in Miami, Fla., recommends:

Mixing alcoholic drinks with water or calorie-free diet sodas instead of sugary (and calorie- and carbohydrate-laden) sodas and other mixers.

Once you have had your drink, switch to a non-alcoholic drink, such as sparkling water, for the rest of the evening.

Make sure you have an eating strategy and plan in place to avoid overeating and overdrinking in social situations. Alcohol can make you more relaxed, and may lead you to make poor food or drinking decisions.

Don't drink on an empty stomach because alcohol can have a very rapid blood glucose lowering effect, which is slowed if there is food in your stomach.

If you're going to have a drink, wear your diabetes identification bracelet or necklace.

"If you become hypoglycemic and there is alcohol on your breath, police or paramedics may mistake your condition for being drunk and may not get the care you need," says Roszler.