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It is estimated that nearly 5 million Poles are one step ahead of diabetes, i.e. they have pre-diabetes. No wonder – our waist circumference is growing and physical activity leaves much to be desired. Fortunately, we can break the “alarming metabolic circle” with a healthy plate.
“Pre-diabetic” or who?
Simply put, prediabetes is a blood sugar disorder that can develop into diabetes within a few years, known as the “epidemic of the XNUMXst century”.
It includes two types of disorders that are caused by elevated blood glucose levels: impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). The former usually affects young and obese people, while the latter is more common in the elderly group. However, both of these conditions (IFG and IGT) can occur simultaneously in the same person.
Over the year, the risk of developing diabetes in a person diagnosed with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) increases fivefold. In a person with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) – 5 times. In the case of both disturbances in carbohydrate metabolism, we are talking about a 6-fold increase!
5 million Poles!
It is estimated that the number of pre-diabetics is 2-3 times the number of diabetics. Which, unfortunately, means that pre-diabetes can be diagnosed in nearly 5 million Poles! The risk group includes people over 45 years of age, who are overweight and obese, have family history of diabetes, and patients with cardiovascular diseases (arterial hypertension). Women who have had gestational diabetes, have given birth to a child weighing more than 4000 g and have polycystic ovary syndrome are also particularly vulnerable.
Importantly, similarly to diabetes, called the “silent killer”, pre-diabetes is often asymptomatic. The alarm signals include drowsiness, weariness, weakness, hunger pangs after a meal, nervousness, and dizziness.
It is worth emphasizing that unless a patient performs diagnostic tests, he is not able to detect whether he has pre-diabetes on his own. The diagnosis of pre-diabetes is based on laboratory blood tests – the measurement of fasting blood sugar (fasting blood sugar level) and the oral glucose tolerance test (the so-called sugar curve). If pre-diabetes is confirmed, follow the doctor’s instructions, which often include drug treatment with metformin in addition to lifestyle modification.
The smaller the circumference, the lower the risk
Fortunately, pre-diabetes is not a verdict! The “Diabetes Prevention Program” study published in 2002 showed that behavioral intervention, consisting in changing the diet, introducing physical activity and continuous education of the patient and his family, reduces the risk of developing diabetes by 58%! Without the use of pharmacotherapy!
It is worth starting a lifestyle change with the usual measurements. Our weight is important, namely the BMI (Body Mass Index), which describes the content of adipose tissue in the body based on the proportion of body weight measured in kilograms to height in meters. With overweight in the range of BMI 27.0–28.9, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases almost 16 times compared to the risk with BMI <22, and with BMI 31,0-32,9, ie obesity, more than 40 times.
In addition to the number on the scale, we should control the waist circumference. In women it should be below 80 cm, in men – below 94. If we are approaching the threshold values, there is nothing to wait for. Time to fight for a “healthy waist” with a plate.
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Doctors and nutritionists emphasize that the tool of prevention, i.e. our “anti-diabetes policy” is the Pyramid of Healthy Nutrition and Physical Activity, popularized by the Institute of Food and Nutrition. According to her recommendations, an ingredient of more than half of what we eat should be vegetables and fruits, which will provide us with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. The right proportions are important – 3/4 should be vegetables and 1/4 fruit. Our diet must also include grain products, dairy products (kefir, yogurt, buttermilk), legume seeds, fatty sea fish, eggs and lean meat that will provide us with valuable protein. Animal fats should be replaced with vegetable ones: olive oil, linseed oil or underestimated oil, and valuable rapeseed oil.
When composing your daily menu, it is worth following the glycemic index (GI), i.e. instead of corn flakes, choose traditional porridge, white rice – brown, and buns – products based on wholemeal flour. As part of a healthy snack, we can eat nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds (in moderate amounts). Especially that, as shown by previous studies, eating about 30 g of nuts (one handful) 5 times a week or more often by people with diabetes reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and increases the chance of extending life!
A few things are definitely worth giving up. The list of “I don’t eat, I don’t get sick” includes sugar, sweets and sweetened drinks. When it comes to salt, it is worth limiting its consumption by choosing spices and fresh herbs. You should also remember to drink the right amount of water and avoid stimulants (nicotine, alcohol).
A diet that we can take as an inspiration is the DASH diet, a nutritional program developed by American nutritionists from the National Institute of Heart, Lung and Hematopoietic System, currently recommended by most societies around the world, promoting healthy nutrition and dealing with the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases. It is characterized by a reduced consumption of foods containing high amounts of sodium, total fat, in particular saturated fatty acids and cholesterol and sugar, which have a high glycemic index. Previous analyzes indicate that the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in people whose diet was closest to the DASH diet was almost 70%. lower than the risk in people whose diet has deviated from it.
In the prevention of pre-diabetes, daily physical activity is also extremely important, which will not only help us reduce body fat, but also oxygenate the body, support the work of the circulatory system, improve the condition and well-being. A week of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise is recommended. For people starting their adventure with sport, swimming, Nordic walking and brisk walking will be the perfect solution. It is also worth being active on a daily basis – choose stairs instead of an elevator, park two streets away, and extend the time of walks with the dog. We can be successful in losing weight in small steps.
Remember that each of us can check the risk of pre-diabetes with a simple test at: www.niebieskipasek.pl.