{"id":627200,"date":"2026-06-08T08:18:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T08:18:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/627200\/"},"modified":"2026-06-08T08:18:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T08:18:16","slug":"im-a-nutritionist-here-are-6-ways-to-reduce-type-2-diabetes-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/627200\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m a nutritionist \u2014 here are 6 ways to reduce type 2 diabetes risk"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Cutting saturated fat and <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" title=\"Blood pressure\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/blood-pressure\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">blood pressure<\/a> are well known ways to improve <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" title=\"Cardiac health\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/cardiac-health\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">heart health<\/a>, but reducing blood sugar fluctuations can also play an important role while simultaneously protecting against <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" title=\"Type 2 diabetes\" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/type-2-diabetes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> type 2 diabetes<\/a>. Over time, repeated blood sugar spikes and responding waves of insulin can contribute to insulin resistance, where cells bombarded by the hormone begin to ignore it. This resistance does not just threaten metabolism, it can also damage the cardiovascular system.<\/p>\n<p>Chronic insulin spikes cause the body to retain sodium, elevating blood pressure, while excess sugar in the bloodstream triggers vascular <a data-link-tracking=\"InArticle|Link\" title=\"Inflammation \" href=\"https:\/\/www.express.co.uk\/latest\/inflammation\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">inflammation<\/a>, stiffening and narrowing the arteries. Sophie Bertrand, a nutritionist with Lingo \u2014 the glucose biosensor and app system made by leading diabetes device manufacturer Abbott \u2014 explained that these consequences begin long before a clinical diagnosis.<\/p>\n<p>She told the Express: \u201cThe more we keep glucose within a healthy range (around 3.9\u20137.8 mmol\/L), the better.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen glucose rises and stays elevated, even before type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, it\u2019s already linked to increased cardiovascular risk.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Certain foods can help to stabilise glucose levels and support heart health, Sophie added.<\/p>\n<p>She said: \u201cFocus on fibre rich vegetables like broccoli and brussels sprouts, high fibre fruits such as raspberries and pears, and legumes, alongside lean proteins like fish or chicken.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIncluding healthy fats from foods like nuts, seeds and avocado can further help reduce glucose variability \u2013 it\u2019s this balance of fibre, protein and fat that supports steadier glucose levels and overall heart health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Here are Sophie\u2019s six quick, practical tips for keeping your blood glucose levels steady:<\/p>\n<p>Prioritise fibre at every mealPair carbohydrates with protein or healthy fats to reduce glucose spikesStart meals with vegetables and protein, then include carbohydratesChoose whole grains like oats, barley or quinoa over refined carbohydratesInclude healthy fats from foods like olive oil, nuts and seedsTry a biosensor and app like Abbott\u2019s Lingo to track your glucose levels in real time<\/p>\n<p>The nutritionist added: \u201cThe goal is to keep glucose levels more stable, more often within a healthy range.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause when glucose levels spike frequently or remain elevated, they can contribute to inflammation and damage to blood vessels over time.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cutting saturated fat and blood pressure are well known ways to improve heart health, but reducing blood sugar&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":627201,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[108472,15427,5573,59,102,10428,6613,24352,15037,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-627200","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-blood-sugar-management","tag-cardiac-health","tag-diabetes","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-healthy-eating","tag-heart-health","tag-nutrition-tips","tag-type-2-diabetes","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627200","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=627200"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/627200\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/627201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=627200"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=627200"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=627200"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}