6 Ways to Slash Your Diabetes Risk

These small changes can make a big difference for your health

Sari Harrar

AARP

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Published January 22, 2026

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Diabetes is a complex disease that can wreak havoc on the whole body, causing damage to the brain, heart, kidneys, eyes, feet and more. But the metabolic condition, which becomes more common with age, can also be moderated — even prevented — through a variety of lifestyle adjustments.

“Diabetes is not inevitable for older adults,” says University of Tennessee endocrinologist Dr. Samuel Dagogo-Jack. “There is plenty you can do to lower your risks.”

Here are six ways you can start today.

1. Skip the sugary drinks

They make blood glucose skyrocket, causing weight gain and surges of insulin, ultimately reducing your body’s ability to absorb blood sugar.

A 2025 analysis from researchers at Brigham Young University found that every 12-ounce sugary drink per day boosts your existing level of diabetes risk 25 percent.

2. Kick ultra-processed (UPFs) foods to the curb

Midlife and older Americans get half their total calories from UPFs like sweet and salty snacks, according to a 2024 study.

Swapping 10 percent of daily UPF calories for less-processed foods reduced diabetes risk 17 percent in a recent European study that tracked nearly 312,000 people for an average of 10 years.

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If you’re trying to cut back, “don’t eat lower-calorie UPFs,” says Ashley Gearhardt, a University of Michigan psychology professor who studies eating disorders, including the addictiveness of junk food. She recommends focusing on “real food from Mother Nature with ingredients you can pronounce” and having a handful of nuts, some fresh mozzarella or an apple for a snack.

3. Walk 2,000 steps

Every 2,000 daily steps lowered type 2 diabetes risk by 12 percent over nearly seven years in a University of California, San Diego, study of 4,838 older women, published in 2022.

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Moderate-intensity walking — fast enough that you could still chat but not sing — was most protective. Muscle contractions help your cells absorb blood sugar, a benefit that persists for approximately two days, says Jill Kanaley, a professor in the Division of Food, Nutrition & Exercise Sciences at the University of Missouri.

“You don’t need a hard walking program,” she says. “Just get your muscles moving by walking. Take five-minute walking breaks from sitting to get started.”

4. Pick up some weights

A little strength training can go a long way toward reducing your risk of diabetes. Up to 60 minutes per week — for example, just doing three 20-minute strength routines weekly — lowered diabetes risk by 17 percent, according to a 2022 review of studies in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

5. Go to bed earlier

Skimping on z’s increased diabetes risk by up to 45 percent, and irregular bedtimes and wake-up times increased it 34 percent in a pair of large studies of midlife and older adults published in 2024.

These sleep habits may throw off body clocks that control blood sugar absorption. But that’s not all. For people with diabetes, sleep problems can heighten stress about taking care of your blood sugar every day, finds a 2025 Norwegian study.

“If you notice ongoing sleep problems, it is worth bringing this up with your health care provider,” says lead study author Hilde Riise, an associate professor at the Western Norway University of Applied Sciences. “Small steps like keeping a regular bedtime, limiting caffeine in the evening and creating a calm bedtime routine can make a real difference.”

6. Lose (a little) belly fat

If you’re carrying extra pounds, dropping as little as 5 percent of your weight could reduce your risk for progressing from prediabetes to type 2 diabetes by 72 percent.

Losing 8 percent improved blood sugar for older adults with diabetes in a 2022 study. The key factor: a drop in visceral fat, the deep abdominal kind that boosts inflammation and reduces blood sugar absorption.

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