TYPE 2 DIABETES: CAUSES, DIET, TREATMENTS
TYPE 2 DIABETES: CAUSES, DIET, TREATMENTS Read More »
After posting the publication about lipid profile assessment, we received many comments and questions. Among all the questions, type 2 diabetes and the ineffectiveness of drug treatment were mentioned most often. Therefore, today we will pay attention to this particular topic, dwelling on the following points: This article was last reviewed by Svetlana Baloban, Healsens, on March 04, 2020. This article was last modified on 15 February 2020. So, diabetes is a condition that affects blood sugar levels and causes many serious health problems if left untreated or uncontrolled. There is no cure for diabetes so that is why it’s easier to head off disease before it occurs than to treat it, and regular medical check up will help with its early disease detection. In case you’ve already got this disease, treatment modalities include lifestyle modifications, treatment of obesity, oral hypoglycemic agents, and insulin sensitizers like metformin, a biguanide that reduces insulin resistance and is still the recommended first-line medication, especially for obese patients. Other effective medications include non-Sulfonylurea secretagogues, thiazolidinediones, alpha glucosidase inhibitors, and insulin. Causes of Diabetes Type 2 Genetics and Lifestyle Choices Play a Role Type 2 diabetes has several causes: genetics and lifestyle are the most important ones. A combination of these factors can cause insulin resistance, when your body doesn’t use insulin as well as it should. Insulin resistance is the most common cause of type 2 diabetes. IN THIS ARTICLE 1 Causes of Diabetes Type 2 2 What happens when you consume too much sugar? 3 Dietary habits and diabetes 4 Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load 5 Measuring Blood Sugar Levels throughout the Day 6 Continuous Glucose Monitor 7 Psychosomatic Aspects Of Diabetes 8 How to Cope with Stress 9 Comprehensive approach to the management of diabetes RELATED ARTICLES Genetics and Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes can be hereditary. That doesn’t mean that if your mother or father has (or had) type 2 diabetes, you’re guaranteed to develop it; instead, it means that you have a greater chance of developing type 2 meaning early diabetes predictions must be part of your screening plan for diagnosing diseases. As for the genetic tests,, despite the fact that researchers know that you can inherit a risk for type 2 diabetes, they haven’t found out which genes carry the risk. The medical community is hard at work trying to figure out the certain genetic mutations that lead to a risk of type 2 Lifestyle Is Very Important Genes do play a role in type 2 diabetes, but lifestyle choices are also important. You can, for example, have a genetic mutation that may make you susceptible to type 2, but if you take good care of your body, you may not develop diabetes. Moreover, simple laboratory tests will help you determine the state of your body’s carbohydrate metabolism long before the disease occurs. If you already suffer from this disease, you have probably heard a lot from the doctor or in the press about the dangers of products containing refined carbohydrates and “white” carbohydrates with the high glycemic index, such as white bread, ground rice, pasta made from premium flour and features potatoes. We will also dwell on this issue in detail and below it will be clear why this issue is so important. When people eat food containing carbohydrates, the digestive system breaks down the digestible ones into sugar, which enters the blood. As blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas produces insulin, a hormone that prompts cells to absorb blood sugar for energy or storage. As cells absorb blood sugar, levels in the bloodstream begin to fall. When this happens, the pancreas starts making glucagon, a hormone that signals the liver to start releasing stored sugar. This interplay of insulin and glucagon ensure that cells throughout the body, and especially in the brain, have a steady supply of blood sugar. What happens when you consume too much sugar? A high sugar diet consumption provokes an instant increase in insulin levels, which sometimes leads to a sharp drop in blood sugar after a few hours. Hypoglycemia caused in this way (low blood sugar) provokes the desire to eat more food rich in refined sugars and starches, which leads to a new jump in insulin. Over time, these constant “ups and downs” cause cells to lose their sensitivity to insulin, and more and more of this hormone is required for glucose transfer. This is called insulin resistance. And it becomes the root cause of the development of the metabolic syndrome leading to high blood pressure. Likewise, insulin resistance increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease. It’s also accelerating the aging process and can also lead to type II diabetes. With this type of diabetes, the pancreas can become so depleted that it completely stops producing insulin to lower blood sugar. In addition, insulin resistance is a cause of impaired fat metabolism, leading to an excess of triglycerides. That’s why having high triglycerides — a type of fat in the blood — may be a sign that you have prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Dietary habits and diabetes The issue of diet is very acute! However, everyone who tried to give up refined sugar and starches knows how difficult it is and there is a completely rational explanation for this. In 2001, a study was published in the journal Nutrition Review showing that refined sugars and starches are addictive. And if you want to exclude them from the diet, it can cause withdrawal symptoms. But getting rid of simple carbohydrates in the diet is the only and most important step that should be taken to reduce the risk of getting sick with metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, as well as to reduce body weight if necessary. Only rejection of these products will make this unhealthy habit disappear. Therefore, if you want to just reduce sugar consumption, it will not bring about the elimination of this addiction. As diet is a crucial tool for managing diabetes, you can also choose some special diabetes diet capable