The prevalence of diabetes, commonly known as ‘sugar disease,’ is rapidly increasing due to factors such as unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle in recent years. According to studies, it is expected that there will be nearly 600 million diabetes patients worldwide by 2035. In Turkey, there are over 7 million diabetes patients, and approximately 3 million people are unaware that they have diabetes. Although the numbers are frightening, it is actually possible to prevent diabetes with lifestyle modifications.
One in every 7 people over 20 has diabetes
Diabetes, whose prevalence is increasing day by day, currently affects 382 million people worldwide. Additionally, there are 316 million pre-diabetes patients. In our country, diabetes and diabetes-related health problems occupy an important place. In Turkey, 14 out of every 100 people have diabetes, and 12 out of every 100 people have pre-diabetes. It is known that the frequency of diabetes is rapidly increasing parallel to the increase in obesity, and one out of every seven people over the age of 20 has diabetes. According to studies, the frequency of diabetes has increased by 90 percent in our country in the last 12 years, while the obesity rate has increased by 44 percent in 12 years. The biggest reason for this is known to be sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy nutrition, and the increase in obesity.
The most important treatment is lifestyle change
Diabetes is briefly defined as the body’s inability to properly use and store blood sugar. Diabetes occurs in the absence or ineffectiveness of insulin, blood sugar levels increase, and it is excreted through the kidneys in urine. In cases where a person’s blood sugar level is higher than normal but not high enough to diagnose diabetes, the person is defined as pre-diabetic. It is known that most pre-diabetic people develop Type 2 diabetes within 10 years. People with diabetes often experience: fatigue, excessive appetite, excessive thirst and drinking water, frequent urination, weight loss, blurred vision, skin infections, and non-healing wounds. For diabetes diagnosis, blood sugar is checked after 10-12 hours of fasting. If fasting blood sugar is higher than 126 mg/dl, random blood sugar level is higher than 200 mg/dl, or blood sugar level during glucose loading test is 200 mg/dl or above, the person may be diabetic and should consult a specialist without delay. The most important form of treatment is lifestyle change. When sugar control cannot be achieved with diet therapy and exercise in diabetes treatment, medication treatment is implemented.
Diabetes: The underlying cause of many serious diseases
Treatment options include oral antidiabetics and insulin therapy. Unfortunately, there is no treatment that completely cures diabetes. It is estimated that every 30 seconds worldwide, a patient’s foot is amputated due to diabetic foot ulcer. Additionally, 50 percent of patients receiving treatment in dialysis units are diabetic. 10-20 percent of diabetic patients are lost due to kidney failure. In the world, three people become diabetic every 10 seconds, and two people die from diabetes-related causes every 15 seconds. Diabetes ranks fifth among diseases causing death in many countries. In adult diabetics, the risk of cardiovascular diseases increases up to 4 times compared to their non-diabetic peers. 60-75 percent of diabetics are lost due to cardiovascular diseases (coronary artery disease and stroke). Diabetes shortens life expectancy by five to ten years. Diabetes is the most common cause of kidney failure treatment cases worldwide and cases of blindness and non-traumatic amputation under age 65. It is known that 2 percent of diabetics develop blindness and 10 percent develop severe vision loss when diabetes duration reaches 15 years.
Basic recommendations for preventing Type 2 diabetes and its complications
- Height-appropriate body weight should be targeted and maintained.
- Adequate and balanced nutrition should be maintained; at least 5 (five) portions of vegetables and fruits should be consumed daily.
- 25-30 percent of daily energy should come from fats, and the ratio of energy from saturated fatty acids should be below 10 percent.
- Simple carbohydrates like sugar should not exceed 10 percent of daily energy; legumes and whole grain products should be preferred instead of simple carbohydrates.
- Daily salt intake should not exceed 5g.
- Be physically active. Regular moderate-intensity activity (such as brisk walking exercises) should be done for at least 30 minutes, at least 5 days a week. More physical activity is required for weight loss.
- Smoking should be avoided and excessive alcohol consumption should be avoided.
- Currently, there is no effective treatment method that can prevent Type 1 diabetes, therefore early diagnosis is essential to prevent diabetes complications.
