6 Things People with Diabetes Should Do Every Day to Help Reduce Inflammation

People with diabetes and chronic inflammation often go hand in hand. Poor blood-glucose control creates conditions for inflammation to progress. Prolonged inflammation makes the body less sensitive to insulin, blood sugar rises, and this in turn increases the risk of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, and diabetic complications.

Here are six daily habits that people with diabetes should incorporate to help reduce inflammation:

1. Exercise daily

   

   Moderate-to-vigorous exercise for about an hour, 3–5 times a week, can reduce signs of inflammation in people with type 2 diabetes. Physical activity increases the release of “happy hormones,” relieves stress, relaxes the body, supports inflammation reduction, helps weight control, burns calories and excess fat, aids blood sugar control and improves insulin sensitivity. For people with diabetes it’s recommended to walk 10–15 minutes after each meal rather than sitting or lying still. After dinner, a 30-minute walk helps regulate blood sugar.

   
   

2. Eat more vegetables (and other plant-based foods)

   

   Aim for foods of plant origin such as fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, and whole grains daily. These foods are rich in complex carbs, antioxidants, and nutrients that reduce inflammation (markers like C-reactive protein, interleukin-6). Vegetables and fruits provide plenty of fiber, which slows the speed at which glucose enters the bloodstream, thus helping blood sugar control. For example: have a whole-apple for breakfast, watermelon for a midday dessert; prepare alternating vegetable dishes like broccoli, tomato, carrot, okra, water-spinach… in stir-fried or steamed form each day to ensure sufficient fiber, stimulate healthy bowel movement, stable digestion.

   
   

3. Get enough sleep

   

   Not getting adequate sleep may increase inflammation in the body and raise blood sugar levels. Poor sleep quality can disrupt hormones that regulate hunger and satiety, leading to cravings for sweet, fatty, oily foods, obesity. Poor sleep can lead to insulin resistance and increased risk of diabetes. People should aim for 7–8 hours of sleep each night, even on weekends and holidays.

   
   

4. Regularly include omega-3 fatty acids

   

   Healthy fats like omega-3 help control fasting blood sugar, markers of insulin resistance, and inflammation. Omega-3 sources include fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, anchovy, sardines; walnuts, almonds, macadamia, avocado…

   
   

5. Limit added sugars and refined carbohydrates

   

   Eating a lot of ultra-processed foods loaded with sodium, bad fats, added sugars easily triggers inflammation. These foods cause rapid weight gain, fat accumulation, increase risk of overweight/obesity and metabolic disorders — factors that drive inflammation. People with diabetes should reduce high-starch foods such as crisp cookies, french fries, white bread, processed meats.

   
   

6. Avoid alcohol

   

   Alcoholic beverages rapidly induce inflammation. Drinking impacts gut function by affecting gut motility, interfering with nutrient absorption and disrupting gut microbiota balance, causing inflammation and oxidative stress. People with diabetes should avoid alcohol, beer and smoking entirely; if drinking, keep to at most one glass.

   
   

How Bubble Smart Reader Helps You Apply These Tips

When you’re managing a chronic condition like diabetes, staying informed and consistent is key — and that’s where the Bubble Smart Reader tool comes in useful. Here’s how it can help:

• Interactive reading and comprehension support: Bubble Smart Reader allows you to import articles like the one above and engage with them in a more active way — highlighting key points, annotating habits (e.g., “walk 30 minutes after dinner”), and setting reminders for daily habits (exercise, sleep, meal planning).

• Simplify complex medical content: The article covers important medical concepts (e.g., inflammation, insulin resistance). Bubble Smart Reader helps by offering explanations of difficult terms, breaking down what each habit means in practice — making it easier for you to internalize and act.

• Track your daily habits: It can integrate with digital check-lists or trackers (or allow you to create your own), so after reading “get 7–8 hours sleep”, you can mark whether you succeeded, review your progress, and identify patterns.

• Personalize your learning: Since you want to improve your intonation and pronunciation too (as I know from our earlier discussion), you can use Bubble Smart Reader to read aloud the text, slow it down, mimic pronunciation, ask it to highlight key phrases you might practice verbally (for example when explaining your diet to others).

• Stay updated and motivated: By saving and categorizing articles like this one, Bubble Smart Reader becomes a hub where you can revisit “reduce inflammation” tips, see summaries, and refresh your understanding — making it more likely you’ll stick with them long term.