Diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. According to 2007 data from National Diabetes Fact Sheet, 23.6 million children and adults in the United States - 7.8% of the population - have diabetes. Learning how to prevent the disease is worth much more than learning how to cure the disease. At the same time, there is no known cure for diabetes which makes even more sense to prevent it beforehand.

7 ways to prevent diabetes:

1) Stay fit and maintain healthy weight. Most of the people with diabetes have failed to keep their weight from becoming too heavy.

2) Exercise on a regular basis. Exercise will enhance body’s response to insulin and help move glucose out of the bloodstream.

3) Eat less fat and sugars. Keeping balanced diet is critical in preventing diabetes. The body’s ability to utilize insulin to convert sugars into energy is dysfunctional when you have diabetes. Therefore, it is important to minimize the amount of glucose intake.

4) Check your blood pressure on a regular basis. Almost 3 out of 4 people with diabetes have high blood pressure.

5) Make sure your doctor checks your urine for protein every year. At least once a year, your blood creatinine level should be checked.

6) If you smoke, quit smoking right away. Smoking and diabetes are a risky combination. Smoking increases your risk for diabetes problems. If you quit smoking, you’ll lower your risk for heart attack, stroke, nerve disease, kidney disease and many other diseases at the same time.

7) Drink lot of water. It's recommended to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day.