Written by: Dr Saptarshi Bhattacharya
6 min readJun 10, 2026 02:37 PM IST
First published on: Jun 10, 2026 at 02:31 PM IST
Every week, I meet people who are worried about diabetes. Some already have it. Others have been told they are “borderline.” Many have a family history and are anxious about developing the condition themselves. What surprises me is that the biggest challenge is often not a lack of information. It is the opposite. People are overwhelmed by information.
One of my patients, whom I will call Rajesh, illustrates this perfectly. He was 35 years old when he first walked into my clinic. A senior executive in a multinational company, his workdays routinely stretched to 10 or 12 hours. Meetings began early, deadlines extended late into the night, and business travel was frequent. His father had developed Type 2 diabetes in his 40s. His elder brother had recently been diagnosed. Rajesh knew he was at risk, but he assumed he still had time. Over the previous few years, he had gradually gained weight. Nothing dramatic. Just a kilogram here and there. The kind of weight gain most busy professionals barely notice. His waistline increased. His blood pressure was creeping upward. His cholesterol profile was worsening. He often felt tired but blamed it on work stress.
Informed, or information overload
Then came the internet. Concerned about his family history, Rajesh started reading extensively about diabetes prevention. Every day, he encountered new advice. One article said carbohydrates were the enemy. Another insisted that fasting for long periods was the answer. A social media influencer promoted expensive supplements. A fitness expert recommended intense workouts six days a week. Another advised eliminating entire food groups. The more Rajesh read, the more confused he became. He would follow one plan for a week, then abandon it for another. Some days he skipped meals. On others, he exercised excessively. Eventually, he became frustrated and exhausted.
When he came to see me, his fasting glucose and HbA1c (three-month average count of blood sugar) were in the prediabetes range. Fortunately, he had not yet developed diabetes. What happened over the next year taught him an important lesson. We did not start with extreme measures. Instead, we focused on a few simple changes.
The changes that actually worked
The first was walking after meals. Many people underestimate the power of a short walk. Even ten to 15 minutes of walking after lunch or dinner can help reduce the rise in blood glucose that occurs after eating. It does not require a gym membership, special equipment, or major disruption of daily life. Rajesh began with a ten-minute walk after dinner. That was all.
The second change involved processed carbohydrates. Notice that I did not ask him to eliminate carbohydrates entirely. Carbohydrates are a normal part of most diets. The problem often lies in highly processed foods that are rapidly absorbed and contribute little nutritional value. Instead of banning foods overnight, we gradually reduced sugary beverages, packaged snacks, refined bakery products, and frequent desserts. This approach felt realistic and sustainable.
The third change was monitoring rather than guessing. Many people assume they know how their body responds to food. In reality, responses vary considerably. Rajesh started checking his glucose periodically and later used continuous glucose monitoring for a short period. The results were eye-opening. Some meals that he thought were healthy produced larger glucose excursions than expected. Other meals had a much smaller effect. The data helped him make informed decisions instead of relying on assumptions.
The fourth change was improving sleep. Sleep is often the forgotten pillar of metabolic health. Rajesh routinely slept five to six hours a night. Late-night emails and constant connectivity had become normal. Gradually he established a more consistent sleep schedule. He reduced screen exposure before bedtime and aimed for seven to eight hours of sleep whenever possible. Within weeks he noticed improvements in energy levels, concentration, and appetite control.
The fifth change was eating more real food. This sounds simple because it is simple. Meals increasingly consisted of vegetables, fruits, pulses, nuts, dairy products, eggs, fish, and minimally processed foods. Instead of focusing obsessively on what to remove, we focused on what to add. People often find this approach easier to follow and far less stressful.
The final change involved stress management. Stress does not directly cause diabetes, but chronic stress can influence eating behaviour, sleep quality, physical activity, and hormonal pathways that affect metabolic health. Rajesh was encouraged to identify periods during the day when he could disconnect, even briefly. Sometimes it was a short walk. Sometimes it was listening to music. Sometimes it was simply spending uninterrupted time with his family. None of these interventions were dramatic. None promised rapid transformation. Yet they worked.
Visible change in 12 months
Over the next 12 months, Rajesh lost weight gradually. His waist circumference decreased. His blood pressure improved. His glucose values moved out of the prediabetes range. Most importantly, he felt healthier and more energetic.
When I asked him what had made the biggest difference, his answer surprised me. He did not mention any specific diet. He did not mention any gadget. He did not mention any supplement. Instead, he said something remarkably simple. “I stopped trying to be perfect.” That statement captures an important truth about diabetes prevention. Research consistently shows that modest and sustained lifestyle changes can substantially reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people at high risk. The benefits arise not from one dramatic intervention but from multiple small improvements that accumulate over time. Genes may load the gun, but lifestyle often pulls the trigger.
(Dr Bhattacharya is an endocrinologist at Apollo Hospitals, Delhi)
A doctor's account of a young executive highlights how family history, weight gain and lifestyle habits can increase diabetes risk long before symptoms appear. (Photo/Canva) 
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