Healthy lifestyle choices can help prevent type 2 diabetes even if there is a family history. A healthy lifestyle includes:

Eating healthy, high-fiber, low-fat, low-calorie foods, preferably fruits, vegetables, or whole grains.
Exercising regularly and avoiding long periods of inactivity by getting up and moving around for a few minutes every 30 minutes or every hour. If you want to lose weight, exercise should be more vigorous.
Losing and maintaining a healthy weight can slow the progression of type 2 diabetes.
Avoid smoking, as it increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, as well as alcohol and other substance abuse.

There are several clinical studies that show that moderate weight loss and a daily program of half an hour of physical exercise five days a week drastically reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Additionally, the risk is reduced or the development of complications in many organs of long-term hyperglycemia is delayed. Such is the case of retinopathy on the ocular retina, nephropathy due to kidney damage, neuropathy due to central nervous system involvement, or vasculopathies that lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular accidents, arteriosclerosis, or early heart disease.

The prevention of cardiovascular risk in diabetes is of particular relevance, for which it is additionally recommended to control the other cardiovascular risk factors, especially blood pressure (normal BP: 130/80 mmHg) and cholesterol (LDL<100 mg/dL, HDL>50 mg/dL and triglycerides<150 mg/dL). Similarly, ongoing assessment of blood glucose levels is recommended to confirm that they are under adequate control by determining glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) which provides long-term information and fasting blood glucose (before meals 70-130 mg/dl).

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