In recent decades, more and more people have begun to suffer from so-called type 2 diabetes. But what is it and what can be done to prevent it?
Diabetes mellitus, or type 2, is one of the most common metabolic diseases in the world. Doctors are increasingly concerned about the growing number of people falling ill. In Italy alone the number of diabetics would exceed 3 million.
On the one hand, these data should alert the population and encourage them to adopt an ever healthier lifestyle, but on the other it is worrying since not all people affected by this disease have access to the same therapies. In these cases, prevention and nutrition education can be the answer to the problem.
Diabetes: what it is and how many types exist
Although diabetes is a mostly irreversible disorder, it is possible to block the progress of the disease by paying greater attention to the food we consume and the lifestyle we choose to follow. When a person is affected by any form of diabetes, he mainly has problems in the production and/or management of a very important hormone: insulin. This, produced by the pancreas, has the task of transporting blood from the blood to the cells so that it can be transformed into energy. When this does not happen, for various reasons, sugar accumulates in the blood causing glycemic peaks which are dangerous for the health of the whole organism.
Currently, in medicine, four different types of diabetes are recognized which differ from each other in the origin and manifestation of the disease. Of particular concern are diabetes mellitus types 1 and 2, because they are much more common than the other two forms. Type 1 diabetes is one of the so-called autoimmune diseaseswhere here is the body destroying its own cells in the pancreas, which are responsible for producing insulin.
Those affected do not produce insulin or if they do it is at minimal levels, in this case the sugar is not transported from the bloodstream to the cells of the body resulting in a situation of hyperglycemia. People with type 1 diabetes are forced to take their insulin externally, by injection or pump. Type 3 diabetes is very rare, here this form of metabolic disorder is triggered by genetic causes, pancreatic disease or infections. Finally, type 4 diabetes only affects pregnant womenThis is why it is commonly called gestational diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus or type two. Key word: prevention
Type 2 diabetes is the most common, as it is linked to problems such as obesity and overweight and hereditary factors. An unregulated lifestyle and a diet poor in essential nutrients are the fertile ground for the progress of this serious disorder.
In diabetes mellitus, a condition called insulin resistance occurs. Here the pancreas produces insulin but for some reason the cells do not detect it and for this reason the pancreas continues to produce it, going under strain. The other result is that the sugar introduced into our body continues to accumulate creating dangerous glycemic spikes. As a result, the sugar cannot be absorbed into cells and remains in the blood.
Over time this mechanism causes the pancreas to stop producing insulin altogether. Here the same discourse comes into play for type 1 diabetes, where insulin will be introduced into the body from the outside. For these reasons it is important to rely on your doctor and find out the most suitable meal plan to counter the evolution of diabetes, and the adoption of an active lifestyle.