Q: My father was a diabetic patient and I had undergone checkup for diabetes 2 years ago. At that time the report was borderline. After that I have not undergone any test but twice a year I check up with my family doctor for this. He takes a drop of blood from the tip of my finger and puts it on the machine and this has been normal. Recently I had undergone an operation for ectopic pregnancy. At that time routine blood test test done prior to surgery was normal. I have a fear that like my father I too will have diabetes. Another problem is that I am very fond of sweets and also tend to become tense on small issues. Could you please advise as I want to be healthy and want to become a mother of a healthy child without any difficulty.

A:Having a family member with diabetes increases the risk of development of diabetes, but does not mean that diabetes has to develop. The 2 ways you could lower your chances of diabetes are to eat healthy food (less fat, less colesterol, less sugar and more green vegetables) and to exercise (at least 30 minutes walk each day). If you are pregnant please ask the doctor to check your sugar at least once every 2 months.