Stay active, fight diabetes

The Centers for Disease control predicts that as many as one in three American adults may have diabetes by 2050 as the number of diabetes patients doubles or triples over the next 40 years.

There's one simple thing you can do -- exercise.

People with Type 2 diabetes should get 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week, according to a new recommendation a committee that wrote a position paper for the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Diabetes Association.

"There is probably not a better medicine out there for people with diabetes than exercise," said Sheri Colberg-Ochs, an Old Dominion University exercise science professor and chair of the committee.

They also recommended that diabetics not let more than two days pass between exercise because frequent activity is key to keeping blood glucose levels from rising.

The first line of treatment of diabetes should be lifestyle changes, such as improving diet and exercise habits, Colberg-Ochs said. "The medications are supplemental to that. You should not take the medications until you make the lifestyle changes." Many people can come off medications, especially if they start making the changes early in their diagnosis.

Even a little bit of activity counts. The 150 minutes of recommended exercise could come in 10-minute bursts throughout the week.

"Weeding, washing your dishes counts, and is very important in people with diabetes," she said. "People think of it as they join the gym or they don't do anything. There are a lot of things in between."