Everyone with diabetes aged 6 months and older should get a seasonal flu shot. Close household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of people with diabetes should also get the vaccines. People can receive both flu shots at the same time.¹

Unusually rapid weight gain in infancy has been associated with a one-and-a-half-fold increase in the risk of developing type 1 diabetes in childhood.² Being overweight also increases the need for insulin. Therefore, people with type 1 diabetes should achieve and maintain appropriate body weight.

People with type 1 diabetes who engage in regular exercise require less insulin.³ However, in the short term, exercise can induce low blood sugar or even occasionally increased blood sugar.⁴ Moreover, a preliminary study has shown that long-term physical activity was not associated with control of blood glucose in people with type 1 diabetes.⁵ Therefore, people with type 1 diabetes should never begin an intensive exercise program without consulting a healthcare professional.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that people with diabetes limit their daily alcohol consumption to one drink for women and two drinks for men.⁶ Similar to research on healthy people, preliminary studies in adults with diabetes find reduced risk of heart disease with light to moderate drinking.⁷ Drinking alcohol with type 1 diabetes can result in hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia, depending on the circumstances, but moderate amounts of alcohol ingested with food does not affect blood glucose levels.⁸ People with diabetes who drink two or more drinks per day were reported to have a high risk for eye damage in one preliminary study,⁹ but another, larger study found no association between alcohol use and eye damage.¹⁰

People with diabetes who smoke are at higher risk for kidney damage,¹¹heart disease,¹² and other diabetes-linked problems. Smokers are also more likely to develop diabetes,¹³ so it's important for diabetic smokers to quit.

Most healthcare providers agree on the necessity of self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) by people with type 1 diabetes. Advocates of SMBG, such as the ADA, have observed that SMBG by people with diabetes has revolutionized management of the disease, enabling them to achieve and maintain specific goals.¹⁴ These observations are well-supported in the medical literature.¹⁵ Detractors point out that indiscriminate use of self-monitoring is of questionable value and adds enormously to healthcare costs.¹⁶ The ADA acknowledges that accuracy of SMBG is instrument- and technique-dependent. Errors in technique and inadequate use of control procedures have been shown to lead to inaccurate test results.¹⁷ Nevertheless, it is likely that self-monitoring of blood glucose, if used properly, can have a positive effect by increasing patient involvement in overall diabetes care.¹⁸ Pharmacists and healthcare practitioners can teach people with diabetes certain skills that will enhance their ability to properly self-manage blood glucose.