Have you ever cared about your blood sugar?
Are you a diabetic?
Do you understand the dangers of diabetes?
How far is diabetes from us?
November 14th is the United Nations Diabetes Day, and 2023 is the 17th United Nations Diabetes Day. This year's theme is"Know your Risk,Know your Response."The WHO emphasizes that patients with diabetes should have equitable access to basic care, help them improve their awareness, and minimize the risk of complications.
United Nations Diabetes Day is jointly sponsored by the WHO and the International Diabetes Federation, and its predecessor is "World Diabetes Day". In 2006, the United Nations passed a resolution to change the name, further strengthening government actions and mobilizing the whole society to strengthen the prevention and control of diabetes.
The Global key facts
Data from the International Diabetes Federation shows that as of 2021, a total of about 537 million adults worldwide are suffering from diabetes, and nearly half of them, or about 212 million people, lack awareness of their condition. This organization predicts that the number of adults with diabetes worldwide will increase by approximately 46% by 2045, reaching approximately 783 million.
In recent years, with the increasing number of overweight and obese minors, patients with diabetes are becoming younger and younger. Experts remind parents not to feed their children too many high-fat and high-sugar foods, and to ensure that teenagers and children eat in a balanced manner.
Get to know diabetes
Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease, mainly due to insufficient insulin secretion in the body or the insensitivity of tissue cells to insulin, resulting in elevated blood sugar concentrations. Its harm is like a silent hammer, hitting our bodies mercilessly. Long-term hyperglycemia can damage various organs throughout the body, especially the eyes, kidneys, nervous system, cardiovascular system, etc. The harm of diabetes cannot be underestimated. In severe cases, it may lead to blindness, renal failure, amputation, myocardial infarction, stroke, and lower limb amputation.
Therefore, we must be vigilant and take active prevention and management measures to avoid diabetes.
Classification of Diabetes
There are two main types of diabetes.
People with type 1 diabetes usually cannot secrete insulin themselves and require insulin injections to stay alive;
Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90% of total diabetes cases, and patients are unable to effectively use insulin.
Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, while type 2 diabetes is usually the result of being overweight and not getting enough physical activity. Facts have shown that simple lifestyle changes can effectively prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, insisting on physical exercise, ensuring not to smoke, and staying away from "sugar-coated bullets" in the diet.
Characteristics of Diabetes
It has the characteristics of low awareness rate, low treatment rate and low cure rate. In addition to common symptoms such as high blood sugar, polydipsia and polyuria, large appetite, and weight loss, there may also be symptoms such as fatigue, irritability, numbness in hands and feet, blurred vision, frequent urination and urgency.
High incidence of diabetes
Know the risks
➤Family history: If your parents or siblings have diabetes, your risk is increased.
➤Weight: Being overweight or obese increases your risk of type 2 diabetes.
➤Age: The risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases with age, especially after the age of 45.
➤Ethnicity: Certain ethnic groups are more likely to develop diabetes, including black Africans, African Caribbeans and South Asians.
➤Lack of exercise: Insufficient physical activity may lead to weight gain and insulin resistance.
➤Gestational diabetes: Women who have had diabetes during pregnancy are at increased risk.
Know the response
A healthy lifestyle such as a proper diet, regular exercise, a healthy weight, and avoiding tobacco use can help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.
The World Health Organization points out that adjusting your lifestyle is the best way to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
To help prevent type 2 diabetes and its complications, people should:
➤Diet
What should patients pay attention to in their daily diet?
Generally speaking, patients with diabetes should follow three major principles in dietary treatment:
Balanced nutrition, moderate calories, and rationed staple food.
Eat a light daily diet, control the amount of oil, salt, saturated fats (such as cream, cheese, butter) and sugar, do not drink alcohol, and avoid sugar and saturated fat. Choose whole grains, lean meats, and plenty of fruits and vegetables.
It is recommended that all diabetic patients refrain from smoking, use other tobacco products and e-cigarettes, and minimize exposure to second-hand smoke.
Tips: The weight loss goals set by overweight or obese patients should not be too high or too fast.
➤Exercise
Reduce sedentary time and increase exercise time.
Stay physically active and get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise,such as brisk walking, jogging, cycling, etc., each week.
Scientific and moderate exercise, active physical activity can include four aspects: housework, transportation, work and leisure time activities.
Tips: Blood glucose monitoring is required before exercise to avoid hypoglycemia.
➤Monitor
Watch for possible diabetes symptoms such as excessive thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, slow wound healing, blurred vision, and lack of energy. If you have any of these symptoms or are in a high-risk group, please consult a medical professional.
Among them, dietary intervention can be said to be the most intuitive, effective and easy-to-operate diabetes treatment method.
For some specific groups of people: such as postoperative diabetic patients, diabetic patients with existing diseases and elderly diabetic patients, have relatively poor overall physical fitness and more limitations, and simple daily diet adjustments cannot To meet more nutritional needs, it is necessary to adopt some more precise and professional medical nutrition therapy (Medical Nutrition Therapy), that is, meal replacement therapy, to make up for the nutritional supplements that are difficult for diabetic patients to meet in their daily diet.