How to Prevent Diabetes Complications: 8 Proven Strategies

Diabetes can increase the risk of several diabetes complications, including heart disease, kidney disease, eye problems, nerve damage, and foot problems. While not every complication can be prevented, managing diabetes and its major risk factors can help prevent, delay, or slow many long-term complications.¹

Key Points

• Managing blood sugar can reduce the risk or progression of several diabetes complications.
• Blood pressure and cholesterol management are important for protecting the heart, kidneys, eyes, and blood vessels.
• Regular physical activity, nutritious food, adequate sleep, and avoiding tobacco support long-term health.
• Kidney, eye, nerve, and foot problems can develop before noticeable symptoms appear.
• Recommended screenings can help detect complications earlier.

1. Manage Blood Sugar to Prevent Diabetes Complications

Managing blood sugar is one of the most important ways to reduce the risk of long-term diabetes complications.

Over time, high blood sugar can damage blood vessels and nerves, contributing to problems involving the eyes, kidneys, heart, nerves, and feet.

Your appropriate glucose and A1C targets depend on factors such as your age, diabetes type, medications, other health conditions, and risk of hypoglycemia. Work with your diabetes care team to determine the targets that are right for you.

Checking your blood sugar levels as recommended can also help identify patterns and show whether adjustments to food, activity, medication, or other parts of your diabetes management plan may be needed.

2. Manage Blood Pressure and Cholesterol

Blood sugar isn’t the only number that matters.

High blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol levels can increase cardiovascular risk and contribute to diabetes complications. Managing these risk factors along with blood sugar can help protect your heart, kidneys, eyes, and blood vessels.¹

Your health care provider can help determine appropriate targets and whether lifestyle changes, medication, or both are needed.

3. Stay Physically Active

Regular physical activity can improve insulin sensitivity, cardiovascular fitness, and overall health. The American Diabetes Association recommends regular physical activity as a foundational part of diabetes management.²

Good options include walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, resistance training, and other activities you enjoy.

Choose activities you can perform safely and consistently. If you have neuropathy, cardiovascular disease, severe retinopathy, foot problems, or another diabetes complication, ask your health care provider which activities are appropriate for you.

4. Choose Carbohydrates and Other Foods Carefully

You don’t necessarily need to eliminate carbohydrates to prevent diabetes complications. Instead, choose an eating pattern that helps manage blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and weight while meeting your nutritional needs.

Focus on nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, whole grains, beans and other legumes, nuts, seeds, and lean protein sources. Pay attention to both the amount and quality of carbohydrates because carbohydrate-containing foods directly affect blood glucose.

If you have chronic kidney disease or another complication, your nutritional needs may be different. A registered dietitian nutritionist can help develop an appropriate eating plan.

5. Get Enough Quality Sleep

Sleep is an important but sometimes overlooked part of diabetes management.

Inadequate or poor-quality sleep can affect blood glucose, appetite, mood, and overall metabolic health. The ADA includes adequate, quality sleep among the positive health behaviors that support diabetes management.²

Try to maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Talk with your health care provider if you regularly experience insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, loud snoring, or possible sleep apnea.

6. Don’t Smoke

If you smoke, quitting is one of the most important steps you can take for your long-term health.

Smoking can make diabetes more difficult to manage and increases the risk of serious complications involving the heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and circulation.³

If you need help quitting, talk with your health care provider about counseling, medications, or other evidence-based smoking-cessation support.

7. Manage Stress and Your Mental Health

Ongoing stress can make diabetes management more difficult by affecting blood glucose, sleep, eating habits, physical activity, and your ability to follow your treatment plan. Managing these factors is part of an overall strategy to reduce the risk of diabetes complications.

Physical activity, relaxation techniques, adequate sleep, social support, and other strategies can help you manage stress.

Diabetes distress can also make daily diabetes care feel overwhelming. If that happens, discuss it with your diabetes care team so you can get appropriate support.

8. Get Screened for Diabetes Complications

Some diabetes complications can develop without obvious symptoms, making regular screening especially important.

Depending on your diabetes type, duration, and medical history, screening may include:

• Kidney tests: The ADA recommends checking estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) at least annually in everyone with type 2 diabetes and in people who have had type 1 diabetes for five years or longer.⁴ If kidney health is a concern, choosing an appropriate eating pattern can also be important. See our guide to kidney and diabetes friendly recipes for practical meal ideas.
• Eye exams: People with type 2 diabetes should generally receive an initial dilated comprehensive eye exam at diagnosis. Adults with type 1 diabetes should have one within five years after diabetes begins.⁵
• Neuropathy screening: Screening should begin at diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and five years after a type 1 diabetes diagnosis, and at least annually thereafter. If you’re already experiencing symptoms, learn more about diabetic neuropathy and strategies that may help manage its effects.⁵
• Foot exams: People with diabetes should receive a comprehensive foot evaluation at least annually. Higher-risk individuals may need more frequent examinations.⁵
• Blood pressure and cholesterol checks: Regular monitoring helps identify and manage cardiovascular risk factors.

Your health care provider may recommend more frequent screening if a complication has already been detected.

Can Diabetes Complications Be Reversed?

Whether a diabetes complication can be reversed depends on the type of complication and how advanced it is.

Some early abnormalities may improve with treatment, while established nerve, kidney, eye, or cardiovascular damage may not be completely reversible. However, detecting problems early and improving blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and other modifiable risk factors may help slow further progression.

That’s why it’s important not to wait for symptoms before completing recommended diabetes screenings.

When to Talk With Your Doctor

Contact your health care provider if you develop symptoms such as new numbness or burning in your feet, changes in vision, persistent swelling, a foot wound that isn’t healing, or unexplained changes in blood sugar.

Don’t change insulin or other diabetes medications on your own in an attempt to prevent complications. Medication decisions should be made with your diabetes care team.

Bottom Line

There is no single way to eliminate the possibility of diabetes complications. However, managing blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol; staying active; eating well; avoiding tobacco; getting adequate sleep; and completing recommended screenings can help reduce your risk.

Early detection and appropriate treatment also provide the best opportunity to protect your heart, kidneys, eyes, nerves, and feet.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Seshadri G. Das, MD
Board Certified in Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism
Last updated: August 2026

References

1. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. Comprehensive Medical Evaluation and Assessment of Comorbidities: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(Suppl. 1):S61–S88. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/49/Supplement_1/S61/163931/4-Comprehensive-Medical-Evaluation-and-Assessment [↩] [↩]
2. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. Facilitating Positive Health Behaviors and Well-being to Improve Health Outcomes: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(Suppl. 1):S89–S131. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/49/Supplement_1/S89/163932/5-Facilitating-Positive-Health-Behaviors-and-Well [↩] [↩]
3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diabetes and Smoking. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/risk-factors/diabetes-and-smoking.html [↩]
4. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. Chronic Kidney Disease and Risk Management: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(Suppl. 1):S246–S260. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/49/Supplement_1/S246/163914/11-Chronic-Kidney-Disease-and-Risk-Management [↩]
5. American Diabetes Association Professional Practice Committee for Diabetes. Retinopathy, Neuropathy, and Foot Care: Standards of Care in Diabetes—2026. Diabetes Care. 2026;49(Suppl. 1):S261–S276. https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/49/Supplement_1/S261/163919/12-Retinopathy-Neuropathy-and-Foot-Care-Standards [↩] [↩] [↩]