Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disease, known as one of the health “big killers,” causing great distress. Many people, after being diagnosed with diabetes, take anti-diabetic medication regularly to stabilize blood sugar levels.
The disease itself is not terrifying; it is the complications, especially various chronic complications such as diabetic eye disease, diabetic nephropathy, diabetic foot, and diabetic neuropathy, that significantly affect the quality of life of diabetic patients.
### Causes of Diabetes
**Genetics**
Patients with a family history of diabetes have a significantly higher risk of developing the disease. However, genetic predisposition needs external factors like lack of exercise, obesity, dietary habits, and viral infections to trigger the condition.
**Lack of Exercise**
The sedentary lifestyle of modern urban dwellers, predominantly engaged in seated or cognitive work, contributes significantly to the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Physical activity increases cell sensitivity to insulin, aids weight loss, improves metabolism, reduces insulin resistance, alleviates hyperinsulinemia, and lowers the risk of cardiovascular complications.
**Obesity**
Obesity is a major factor in the development of diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, particularly in individuals with abdominal obesity. Obesity is associated with hyperinsulinemia, leading to insulin resistance and the eventual onset of type 2 diabetes due to disrupted carbohydrate metabolism and inadequate β-cell function.
**Dietary Habits**
With improved material conditions, dietary habits have shifted towards emphasizing taste. Flavor intensification (salty, sweet, spicy) and fatty food are reasons behind the delightful taste of food. Consuming predominantly high-calorie, high-fat diets beyond energy expenditure leads to fat accumulation, resulting in obesity and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
**Psychological Factors**
Psychological factors play a crucial role in the onset and progression of diabetes. Emotional stress, excitement, and psychological pressure can trigger hormone secretion, especially stress hormones that elevate blood sugar levels and counteract insulin. Prolonged release of these hormones disrupts endocrine metabolism regulation, leading to hyperglycemia and ultimately diabetes.
**Academician Ning Guang**
Academician Ning Guang has been leading clinical and research work on endocrine metabolic diseases in China. He organizes large cohort studies, explores cardiovascular metabolic disease risk factors, develops comprehensive prevention and treatment strategies, and advocates for standardized metabolic disease management centers to promote national diabetes management standards. Academician Ning has researched diabetes for over 30 years, contributing significantly to metabolic disease patients in China.
Academician Ning Guang, aged 59, recommends avoiding the following foods:
1. High-sugar foods
2. Liquor
3. Fatty foods
4. Acidic fruits
### People at Greater Risk of Diabetes:
1. Older individuals, especially those over 40 years old
2. Overweight or obese individuals, with a 2-3 times higher risk of diabetes
3. Those with a family history of diabetes
4. Pregnant women with elevated blood sugar
5. Individuals with low physical activity levels (<150 minutes/week)
6. People with hypertension, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, or polycystic ovary syndrome
### Importance of Three-level Prevention for Diabetes:
1. Primary Prevention: Aimed at preventing diabetes in susceptible individuals through measures like obesity prevention, balanced diet, adequate physical activity, and avoiding drugs with adverse effects on sugar metabolism.
2. Secondary Prevention: Early identification of asymptomatic diabetes and low glucose tolerance, followed by appropriate interventions like dietary therapy, exercise, and medication.
3. Tertiary Prevention: Focused on preventing acute and chronic complications of diabetes, including hypoglycemia, ketoacidosis, hyperosmolar coma, infections, cerebral ischemia, stroke, and lower limb gangrene.
