Diabetes
Milletus or diabetes for short is a disease that affects millions of people all
around the world. In America, 29.1 million people suffer from diabetes, 8.1
million of whom don't even know they have it. Each year in the U.S it causes up
to 70,000 deaths, contributes to thousands more and is a leading cause of
blindness, kidney failure and heart disease.
In 2007
in the United States, over $116 billion was spent on diabetes treatment and an
additional $58 billion lost due to reduced productivity. By 2012 these numbers
had risen to $176 billion for direct medical costs and $69 billion for indirect
cost like disability, work loss and premature death. Fast forward to 2015 and
it is no gainsaying that the situation must quite clearly be worse.
In the
United Kingdom, about 3.8 million people have diabetes with the situation no
better in countries like China (92 million Chinese adults), India (62 million adults).
Globally, at present growth rates, it is estimated that the number of people
diagnosed with diabetes will rise from 285 million in 2010 to 439 million by
the year 2030. Truly then, one might say that diabetes is a disease of epidemic
proportions.
But what
exactly is diabetes? To answer this question it is important to first know how
the body works.
The body
needs energy to function properly. A rich source of this is carbohydrates which
the body converts to glucose - a simple sugar form it can readily use.
Ordinarily when glucose is absorbed into the bloodstream in this way, the
hormone insulin is equally released and it functions to enable the glucose pass
into the cells for energy production.
Unfortunately
under certain circumstances, the body is unable to make enough of this insulin
or to where it does make enough, properly use it. This is what is known as
diabetes. There are two types. Type 1-caused by the auto-immune response of the
immune system attacking the pancreas and destroying the insulin making cells of
the organ. It makes up about 5-10% of diagnosed diabetes cases.
Type 2,
in which though the pancreas still makes insulin, the body has lost sensitivity
to it and no longer responds to it properly (makes up about 90% diagnosed
diabetes cases). The result of both types is that glucose can't get into the
cells normally. As such blood sugar level rises and if left untreated leads to
medical complications. Accordingly, it is imperative as with most diseases that
one, looks towards prevention rather than cure.
Prevention
As far as
Type 1 diabetes goes, the prevailing wisdom is that it can't be prevented. In
fact, for now, it can't even be predicted who will or won't get it. Evidence
however suggests that there may be a genetic predisposition to it. A genetic
predisposition to the disease though is not ordinarily enough to trigger it.
What triggers it in most cases is an external factor- a virus for example, as
in the case of a child.
Having
said this, research does show that breastfeeding, avoiding early introduction
of solid foods and other factors might play a role in lowering the risk of
developing the disease.
That is
for type 1. For Type 2 though, prognosis for prevention is rosier. Since Type 2
is predisposed on the body losing its sensitivity to insulin, there are several
steps one can take to prevent this from happening or where it does happen, to
even reverse it. These follow;
First, eat a healthy balanced
diet.
A healthy
balanced diet would comprise the 5 major food groups eaten in the appropriate
portions or servings.
To help
guide citizens on what constitutes this, the UK government devised the Eat Well
plate which is the national food guide designed to help UK citizens have a
healthy balanced diet. It is based on the basic five food groups and the guide
stipulates the percentage of a person's plate that should be made up of each
food group.
Thus
Fruits and vegetables-33%, Bread, rice, potatoes, pasta and other starchy
foods-33%, Milk and other dairy products-15%, Meat, fish, egg, beans and other
non-dairy sources of protein-12% and foods and drinks high in fat or sugar-7%.
It is noteworthy that the second group though should be whole grain-that is
whole wheat bread, brown rice etc. and not refined grains like white bread and
white rice.
In America,
it is the MyPlate nutrition guide provided by the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA).
The guide
was revised by the American Diabetic Association in such a way as to make
non-starchy vegetables like spinach and cabbage constitute about 50% of the
plate, grains and starchy foods like whole grain bread and rice 25%, and
protein such as chicken and fish constitute the other 25%.
Eat more Fiber containing food
and whole grains
What is
common to both the UK's Eat Well Plate and the United States MyPlate nutrition
guide though is the emphasis on fiber and whole grains. High in fiber foods
include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Examples of grains on
the other hand are whole wheat bread, whole wheat pasta and brown rice.
Both these-
whole grains and fiber, lower your risk of developing diabetes by improving
your blood sugar control. In fact research shows that substituting whole grains
for even some refined carbohydrate products -white bread or rice could lower
diabetes risk by as much as 36%.
In Nurses
Health Studies 1 and II a study spanning over 18 years and looking at the
health and dietary habits of 160,000 women, it was found that women who
averaged two to three servings of whole grains a day were 30% less likely to
have developed Type 2 diabetes than those who rarely ate whole grains. It was
found that the bran and fiber in whole grains slows down the digestive
processes by making it harder for digestive enzymes to break down the starches
into glucose, resulting thereby in slow increases in blood sugar (low glycemic
index) and less strain on the pancreas.
In
addition to its diabetes fighting qualities, fiber lowers the risk of heart
disease and also promotes weight loss by making you feel full.
Avoid
highly refined grain products like white bread
In
contrast to whole grain food, white rice, white bread, mashed potatoes, donuts
etc. cause sustained increase in blood sugar and insulin levels. This is what
is meant when they are said to have a high glycemic load. This resulting load
leads to increased insulin output and conversely increases the chance of
developing diabetes.
Skip Sugary drinks like soda
It has
also been advised that skipping sugary drinks like soda etc. and going for the
alternative water, coffee or tea is also a good diabetes prevention measure.
Sugary drinks not only lead to increased weight but evidence suggest also
increase chronic inflammation, high triglycerides and insulin resistance whilst
decreasing "good" (HDL) cholesterol, these being all risk factors for
diabetes. In fact a synthesis of eight studies made, found that for every
additional 12 ounce serving of sugary beverage that people drank each day,
their risk of type 2 diabetes rose 25 percent.
Cut down or eliminate red meat
In
addition to the above it has been shown that the cutting down or elimination of
red and processed meat from ones diet lowers the risk factor for getting
diabetes. Red meat should be replaced by healthier protein sources like fish
and poultry. In fact analysed information from eight long term studies show
that eating just one daily serving of 3 ounces of red meat lead to a 20%
increase in the risk of getting diabetes. For processed meat, it's even
worse-namely a 51% increment.
Quit smoking
It has
also been found that smokers are near 50% more likely to get diabetes than are
non-smokers. As such an endeavor to lower ones risk of getting diabetes should
make the stoppage of smoking a top priority.
Moderate consumption of Alcohol
Surprisingly
too, it has been found that consuming moderate amounts of alcohol (up to a
drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) may be beneficial to help
lower ones chance of developing Type 2 diabetes. This is because alcohol
increases the efficiency of insulin at getting glucose inside cells. On the
other hand, if you don't drink do note that there is no need to start as these
same benefits can be derived from other means - exercise and diet for instance.
Lose weight
In Type 2
cases, being overweight has been fingered as a risk factor for developing
diabetes. Being obese results in a 20-40% increase in your chances of
developing diabetes. As such, studies show that losing weight by as little as
just 7% when done together with exercise, can reduce the chances of developing
diabetes by almost 60%.
Be more physically active
Exercising,
whether as a regular fitness regimen or incorporating physical activity into
your daily routine, is another sure way to lower your risk factor for
developing Type 2 diabetes. This is because exercise will not only help you
lower your blood sugar, but in addition to this, also help you lose weight and
increase your bodies sensitivity to insulin. An exercise program that includes
both aerobic and resistance training (weights usage) has been found to achieve
the best results.
In
addition to the above, many nutritionists and health experts advocate skipping
fad diets. In the place of this, they recommend simply making healthier
choices. The reason for this they say, is that though possibly helping you to
lose weight, their diabetes preventive effects is not only unattested to but in
addition to that, by limiting a particular food group, may make you miss out on
essential nutrients.
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