Type 2 diabetes is an insidious disease that, by the time it is diagnosed, has often already caused irreversible damage to the body. It is the leading cause of blindness, stroke, and lower limb amputation.
In Estonia, 70,000 people struggle with this severe disease daily. About the same number of people are unknowingly living with undiagnosed diabetes, sitting on a ticking time bomb. Let’s take a closer look at what type 2 diabetes is, its causes and symptoms, and how you can protect your health.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by prolonged high blood sugar levels and disturbances in carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism.
Diabetes occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce enough insulin or when the body cannot use insulin effectively. Insulin is a hormone that helps cells absorb glucose from the bloodstream, which serves as a vital energy source for cellular function.
Diabetes is a lurking lifestyle disease
November 14 is World Diabetes Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about treating and preventing this serious illness.
Most people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to unhealthy lifestyle choices. The good news is that the same lifestyle choices can help prevent diabetes or slow its progression. Diabetes can develop silently for up to 10 years before symptoms appear.
Types of diabetes
Diabetes comes in several forms, but they all involve impaired energy metabolism, resulting in high blood sugar. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies diabetes into the following categories:
- Type 1 diabetes: Caused by the destruction of insulin-producing beta cells due to autoimmune inflammation.
- Type 2 diabetes: Caused by insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion, or both.
- Gestational diabetes: Caused by hormonal changes leading to increased insulin needs during pregnancy.
- Other forms of diabetes: Resulting from conditions such as pancreatitis, hormonal disorders, pancreatic surgery, or the rare metabolic disorder hemochromatosis.
Additional types of diabetes include:
- LADA diabetes (Latent Autoimmune Diabetes in Adults) – a slow-progressing form of type 1 diabetes that begins in adulthood.
- MODY diabetes (Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young) – a strongly hereditary form of diabetes that usually starts between ages 20 and 30, or even earlier, due to defective insulin secretion.
Age of onset:
- Type 1 diabetes: Usually before age 40, but can occur later.
- Type 2 diabetes: Typically after age 40, though it can also occur earlier.
What is normal blood sugar?
For a healthy person, normal blood sugar levels are up to 6 mmol/L on an empty stomach and should not exceed 7.8 mmol/L two hours after eating. In diabetes, these levels are elevated. Blood sugar levels persistently above 10 mmol/L are considered very high.
Diabetes is diagnosed through a fasting blood glucose test, an oral glucose tolerance test, or an HbA1c test. Before undergoing a fasting blood sugar test or glucose tolerance test, you must refrain from eating or drinking for 12 hours.
What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a silent disease, and by the time it is diagnosed, it has often already caused significant damage to the body. The disease develops slowly and can manifest in various ways.
Get your blood sugar checked if you are over 40, overweight, and physically inactive. The main symptoms of type 2 diabetes include:
- Persistent thirst and dry mouth
- Frequent urination
- Fatigue and weakness
- Constant hunger
- Unexpected weight loss
- Slow-healing wounds
- Recurring infections
- Blurred vision
What are the risk factors for type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is a serious chronic disease that leads to elevated blood sugar levels. It is the most common type of diabetes, affecting about 90% of diabetes patients.
The risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:
- Overweight and obesity, especially around the abdomen
- Physical inactivity
- Genetic predisposition
- Age
- Prediabetes
- Gestational diabetes
- Birth of a baby weighing over 4 kg
- Dyslipidemia, where triglyceride levels in the blood exceed 2.8, and HDL (good cholesterol) is below 0.9
The risk of type 2 diabetes can be reduced by following a healthy lifestyle:
- Healthy diet. Eat a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fiber.
- Regular physical activity. Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week.
- Maintaining a normal weight. Keep your body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9.
- Quitting smoking. Smoking increases the risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Quality sleep. People who sleep five hours or less per night have a 1.5 times higher risk of developing diabetes.
If you have any risk factors for type 2 diabetes, it is important to talk to your doctor. A healthcare professional can assess your risk and provide recommendations on how to reduce it.
Why should type 2 diabetes be treated?
It is important to understand that type 2 diabetes cannot be cured. The goal of diabetes treatment is to keep the disease under control, prevent complications, and maintain a good quality of life.
The foundation of type 2 diabetes treatment is always lifestyle changes. Proper blood sugar levels can be maintained through a healthy diet, weight reduction, medication, and, if necessary, insulin therapy.
What are the complications of type 2 diabetes?
Undiagnosed type 2 diabetes can lead to severe complications, as persistently high blood sugar silently damages all organ systems.
High blood sugar levels damage the retina, kidneys, heart, blood vessels in the legs, and nerves in the feet, increasing the risk of poorly healing ulcers. Type 2 diabetes accelerates atherosclerosis, raising the risk of gangrene, coronary heart disease, and stroke.
High blood sugar can cause the following complications:
- Slow healing of wounds and scratches
- Frequent skin infections
- Retinal and vision damage
- Frequent urinary tract infections
- Kidney failure
- Nerve damage in hands and feet
The only way to prevent complications of type 2 diabetes is to maintain proper blood sugar levels. Treatment typically includes lifestyle changes such as a healthy diet, regular physical activity, and weight loss. In many cases, medication is necessary.
Remember that with type 2 diabetes, regular blood sugar monitoring is essential to prevent complications. Without monitoring, diabetes cannot be kept under control.
Additionally, it is important to visit an ophthalmologist once a year to check for possible diabetes-related eye damage.
Which vitamins and minerals are important for type 2 diabetes?
Diabetics require regular supplementation with vitamins and minerals to keep the disease under control and reduce the risk of complications. Additionally, vitamins and minerals are not absorbed as efficiently from food in people with diabetes as they are in healthy individuals. To make it easier to choose the right supplements, here are some key recommendations.
- B vitamins: Improve carbohydrate metabolism, protect blood vessels, and support nerve function.
- Vitamins A, C, and E: Powerful antioxidants that help protect the body from oxidative stress and support overall health.
- Zinc and chromium: Essential minerals that help maintain normal glucose levels. Zinc also strengthens the immune system and promotes wound healing.
- Magnesium: Plays a crucial role in muscle and nerve function.
- Vitamin D: Supports immune function, aids calcium absorption, and helps prevent osteoporosis.
- Omega-3 fatty acids: Beneficial for heart and vascular health, eye function, and brain health, with anti-inflammatory properties.
- Lutein and zeaxanthin: Help prevent eye damage and protect against macular degeneration.
Preventing type 2 diabetes is much easier than treating it!
