Recent studies have shown that increasing your body’s muscle mass can help reduce your risk of diabetes. The direct proportion of the body’s muscle mass to weight may have an effect on one’s overall risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Nearly 14,000 adults were studied to discover how body mass affects the possibilities of developing the disease.

But how can you increase your muscle mass? There are various foods and exercises you can incorporate into your life. Whole foods, such as complete proteins and carbohydrates, plenty of leafy green vegetables, carrots and tomatoes, and other fresh foods can help develop muscle mass. Healthy fats, such as olive oil and fish oil, can also be beneficial to the body when building muscle mass.

Using weights and strength training exercises is known to help increase muscle mass, as is drinking plenty of water and getting sufficient rest. Compound exercises should also be incorporated into one’s workout when trying to build muscle mass.

Of course, simply moving one’s body and eating plenty of fresh, healthy foods on a daily basis can be beneficial for anyone and any lifestyle, and may help ward off all kinds of health problems in addition to type 2 diabetes.