Diabetes, meet the enemy
Diabetes mellitus is a disease that occurs when insulin secretion is impaired / absent or due to factors that interfere with its function. These deficiencies lead to an increase in blood glucose, which in turn ends in damage to many organs, such as the kidneys, heart and eyes. Diabetes can be divided into four main groups according to the World Health Organization and the American Diabetes Association, but the most common are 2 of them:
- Type 1 diabetes – is called juvenile because it is most often detected in children and adolescents. The cause of its occurrence is damage to the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. This may be due to immune processes against the body’s own or other unknown mechanisms. In this case, it is necessary to administer insulin.
- Type 2 diabetes– is called adult diabetes. It is caused by the insulin resistance of tissues to insulin secreted. We usually start treatment with a diet, the next step is the administration of tablets. This type of diabetes can also result in insulin administration.
The remaining types are gestational diabetes (a temporary disorder in pregnancy, occurring in previously healthy women) and other diabetes with a known cause, e.g. cancer, drug-induced or infection.
Karolina Stęplewska wrote about the diet in various types of diabetes.
What to do in order not to get sick?
Of course, some diabetes cases, especially type 1 diabetes, are not preventable. It does not matter how we eat or how active we are, research shows. When it comes to type 2 diabetes, it’s largely preventable. What to do to protect yourself from this disease?
1. Avoid obesity and overweight. The higher the body weight, the greater the risk of developing diabetes. Of course, it is best to prevent overweight and obesity, but if it is too late, it is worth choosing a balanced diet and gently reducing the caloric content of meals.
2. Eat healthy. First of all, eat a variety of meals rich in complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits, lean meat, fish, dairy products, seeds, nuts, healthy fats. However, we should avoid simple sugars with a low glycemic index (nutritionist Karolina Łąkowska wrote about products with low GI), processed products, fast food and fatty dishes.
Eating the whole fruit, i.e. blueberries, grapes, apples, reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes – reported scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health
3. Avoid large amounts of alcohol. It is best to opt for a glass of dry red wine about 3 times a week.
4. Move. Regular physical activity will not only help you achieve a slim figure, but also improve your health and well-being. It has been proven that exercise can prevent or at least delay the onset of diabetes.
It has been shown that regular walking, min. 30 minutes a day can reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes by up to 35-40 percent.
5. Do not smoke. Smoking is a risk factor for diabetes. Doctor of Medicine from the Polytechnic University of Pomona – Xiao-Chuan Liu conducted a study of the effects of nicotine on blood. It turned out that the higher the dose of nicotine, the more blood sugar increased.
6. Breastfeed if you can. Old research (published in 1984) suggests that breastfeeding may lower the risk of type 1 diabetes, and studies published in 2005 apply this relationship to type 2 diabetes as well.
The above advice will not only help prevent diabetes. These are, in fact, general recommendations for a healthy lifestyle. These few simple rules can protect us against a wide range of diseases, such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, and even cancer.
Photo 1 of the text is from: annieseats / Foter / CC BY-ND