Myths and facts about Diabetes

This post deals with some of the most common beliefs, facts about diabetes and its management. You probably know someone with diabetes or maybe you have diabetes. For every person diagnosed with type II diabetes, there is another one that remains undiagnosed. It is time to learn more about this epidemic.
Myth 1. Diabetes is a disease that only fat people suffer from
Having extra weight, especially around the waist, is an important risk factor for type II diabetes. But, genetics also play a key role. That is, some people who have extra weight do not develop diabetes.

While others who are thin will suffer from the disease.

It is the interaction between our genes and our lifestyle that influences the development of type II diabetes. Genetically predisposed people pay the price for following the Western lifestyle, developing diabetes. Weight does not play a vital role! In fact, most people with type I lose weight before being diagnosed due to lack of insulin.

Myth 2. Diabetes is not a serious illness
Unfortunately, it is not true with the increase of diabetics in the coming decades, diabetes is something we should all take seriously. The sad reality is that diabetes, especially when it is not managed well, can lead to health problems such as:

Heart disease.
Problems in blood vessels, etc.
There can even be problems that lead to amputations.
The good news is that, with proper management, the risk of these complications is significantly reduced.

We also know that up to 60 percent of cases of type II diabetes can be prevented with lifestyle changes. Early diagnosis and current treatments allow many people with diabetes to live a life relatively free of complications.

Myth 3. Should I forget about my favorite food?

Living habits, including a healthy diet, play an important role in the management of diabetes.But, there is no special diet for diabetics. A person with diabetes should follow a healthy diet, just like the rest of us. And this may include your favorite foods. There are some foods (for example, cakes, cakes, cookies, chips, candy, soda and fried fast food) that it is better to eat occasionally (in small portions) and not daily.

The timing and amount of food becomes more important, particularly for people who take medications or insulin, since the goal is to keep blood sugar levels as stable as possible. For a person with type II diabetes who is overweight, a healthy eating plan should also aim for gradual weight loss. The approach to type 1 diabetes is more about the insulin dose than the foods you eat.

What is insulin?
Insulin is a hormone produced by the cells of the pancreas.

When we eat carbohydrates, they are processed into glucose (the simplest form of sugar) that is absorbed into the bloodstream.

When glucose enters the bloodstream, insulin is released and helps in the transport of glucose to our muscles and cells, where it will be used as energy.

Without insulin, glucose accumulates in the blood (high blood sugar levels) and we are unable to use it as energy.

Myth 4. Too much sugar causes diabetes
There is no evidence whatsoever that by itself sugar causes diabetes.
While diabetes means having too much sugar in the blood, the relationship is not so simple. Type I diabetes occurs as a result of the immune system attacking its own insulin-producing cells. That has nothing to do with eating sugar.However, it would be valuable to know why the attack occurs.

And, in type II diabetes, insulin is unable to function properly to get glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream to access the muscles and cells.

This is made worse by being overweight, sedentary, and eating too much saturated fat.
Sugar, per se does not cause insulin resistance – although obviously when you eat in excess it can contribute to gain weight, which then increases the risk.

1. Facts about diabetes: There is no such thing as ‘mild’ diabetes
Some people with type 2 diabetes who do not take medications assume that their diabetes is mild or less severe, but unfortunately this is not really the case.

The reality is that if blood sugar levels are not controlled and the body stays at consistently high levels, then complications develop.

We also know that type II diabetes is a progressive disease and therefore, over time, the disease usually progresses to the point of needing tablets and then insulin.

Taking diabetes seriously from the start includes introducing appropriate lifestyle changes and taking medications when necessary.

Measures that will help slow down the progression and reduce the chances of developing complications.

2. Facts about Type 1 Diabetes
It occurs when the body’s immune system destroys the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas. Without insulin-producing cells, the person with type I diabetes must obtain insulin either by injections or with an insulin pump.

It is also necessary to balance food, activity and insulin to maintain blood sugar levels as close as possible to normal values.

Type 1 diabetes accounts for about 10 percent of diabetes cases. It is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, but it can occur at any age.

3. Facts about type II diabetes
It develops because the body’s insulin is unable to function properly or when the body can not produce enough insulin to maintain normal blood sugar levels.
The risk of developing type II is greater in overweight and sedentary people.

Diet and exercise are the first line of treatment. But most people with type II diabetes will need oral medications and possibly insulin injections over time.

Type II diabetes accounts for 90 percent of people with diabetes. It is usually diagnosed in older people, unfortunately it is becoming increasingly common in children.

What you need to know about type II diabetes
Type II diabetes begins with a problem called insulin resistance.

The body’s insulin is unable to function properly, and the cells can not absorb glucose for energy, so glucose (sugar) stays in the blood.

Misconceptions about Diabetes
Therefore, eventually blood sugar levels increase, and prediabetes begins to develop, ending in type II diabetes.

For most people it is a gradual progression that lasts for many years.

But unfortunately often it is not diagnosed until in advanced stages when they have had high blood sugar levels for some time.

The main problem with diabetes is the damage to the blood vessels that occurs when blood sugar levels remain high for prolonged periods of time.

This can lead to heart disease, kidney disease, circulation problems and eye damage.

With lifestyle changes and the addition of medications as needed, you can avoid or significantly reduce the risk of developing these complications.

Early diagnosis and maintaining good control of blood sugar levels, cholesterol and blood pressure are key.

How to know if you are at risk
It is possible to have type II diabetes without symptoms, so knowledge of risk factors is key to early diagnosis.

The symptoms of diabetes can include excessive thirst, frequent urination, blurred vision and fatigue.

If you have a family history of diabetes, extra weight around the waist, or have high cholesterol and high blood pressure, your risk is higher and you should check yourself regularly.

Women who have polycystic ovary syndrome  or who have had gestational diabetes or large children are also at greater risk.

The risk of type II diabetes also increases as we get older.

If you are worried, talk to your GP for a simple blood glucose test.

Taking early action significantly reduces the risk of developing diabetes.

Research has shown that people with prediabetes who make changes in diet, exercise and weight can reduce their risk by almost 60 percent.

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Five fat burning foods

I have already commented many times in my blog: miracles do not exist and much less in diets. That’s why when we talk about fat-burning foods we should be aware that it will not be easy or quick, but they will help us lose weight a lot.
When we hear the word fat burning, the magic pills that we can find even in supermarkets come to mind, but nothing is further from reality: fat burning foods are natural products that accelerate our metabolism by undoing the accumulated fat deposits in our bodies. the tissues.

We must bear in mind that weight loss has to be gradual to avoid the annoying rebound effect, and although we can use specific diets in specific cases such as fat burning soup, remember that this type of diet should never be carried out for more than seven days
Drink a minimum of two liters of water per day. This will eliminate toxins and everything your body does not need.
Eliminate refined flours, industrial food, sweets from your meals … these foods are our biggest enemies, something like fat accumulators.
Exercise. The sedentary lifestyle has dire consequences, not only for our weight, but also for your health. Just walking half an hour a day will make you feel much better.
Eat. To lose weight, the important thing is not to stop eating, but quite the opposite. You must make five meals a day, giving priority to breakfast and, of course, controlling what you eat.
Today we bring you five examples of fat-burning foods that will be very easy to include in your day to day without having to radically change your meals, thus avoiding the inconvenience of starting a diet and what that entails, because let’s be honest, the simple word diet makes our appetite open
The Apple. The forbidden fruit in our case will be our greatest ally. It is one of the best fat burning foods, although to notice its effects you must take two or three pieces of this fruit daily. Include one at breakfast as it will give you the strength you need to face the day, another piece you can take as a dessert and the last at dinner. To take it, use imagination: you can take it naturally, make a smoothie or a delicious dessert such as apple pie or apple sauce; Do it as you like!
Green Tea. At this point, we all know the benefits of green tea, as it reduces the ability to absorb fats from food and stimulates the burning of accumulated fat in the body. Drink as much green tea as you want.
Watermelon. All foods with high water content will help us not only to eliminate toxins, but also to eliminate fat from our body. The watermelon also, with that sweetness that identifies it, becomes one of our favorite dishes especially in summer.
Calcium. The ideal is to consume three servings of dairy per day, since calcium stimulates the combustion of fats. A glass of milk and two yogurts will give us the daily rations we need and help us fight fat. Have you tried mixing yogurt with apple chips? It’s delicious dessert that combines two of our favorite fat burning foods.
Spices Curry, paprika and pepper among others, due to its spicy flavor generate a greater energy expenditure during digestion, so they burn fat while they are digested. If you are a fan of spicy food, take advantage, always in moderation.

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Sugar the new tobacco

Let me guess … Is losing one of your New Year’s resolutions? If you have guessed right, read on. Otherwise, do it also because your health may be grateful even when you enjoy a body 10 and not even a gram. Experts are becoming more clear, although there are dissonant voices. They are the added sugars, and not the fat, as has long been believed, the true cause of fattening and that we do in times of excess, as the campaign we just closed, a real sugar frenzy.

In the last 150 years sugar has been getting into our system, little by little, almost forming part of it, to the point that it has come to be described as “the tobacco of our time.” White gold that sweetens our lives, but also an even more addictive substance than cocaine and morphine, as demonstrated last year by an experiment with rats in the Connecticut College laboratory. [When the rodents could choose between cocaine and sugar, most chose the latter, even in rats that had previously tried cocaine, demonstrating the great power of addiction of the candy]. A food that should be taken in moderation, and a lot, if you want to avoid that the extra kilos that have been installed in your body accompany you for a long time.

Its pleasant flavor invades the mouth giving a sensation of complete pleasure. From the outermost tip of our tongue to the dark darkness of the throat, sugar gets into our body, causing an immediate sensation of well-being, unleashing the serotonin, known as the hormone of happiness, and activating the parts of the brain associated with well-being It is true, sugar provides happiness, but may in the long run contribute to diminish the health of our body. A poisoned candy. A natural, basic food that provides energy immediately, but with the mass production of recent times has gone from being an occasional whim to invading our kitchens, to the point that we find it in the most unsuspected foods. So you know, if you want to lose weight, eliminate sugar from your diet. Now this is easier said than done because in the developed world the following (strange) circumstance occurs: the consumption of table sugar has plummeted, while the use of sugars in processed and industrial products has skyrocketed. That is, now we consume sugar without being really aware of it and there is the big problem, according to just denounce the global campaign Action on Sugar, that sugar has gotten into our metabolism to make us depend on it without us even knowing it.

Experts are calling on the industry to reduce the amount of added sugar in food by 30% in the next five years. They are convinced that it is the most effective and cheapest way to curb diabetes and obesity, two of the plagues in our world that, unlike other pandemics, do not have an action plan to stop them. Estimates also shared by the United Nations, which speaks of the “evident evidence that demonstrates the link between soft drinks and food with added sugars and obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.” However, there are experts who defend the natural aspect of sugar, a lifelong staple whose consumption in moderation is not only not harmful but is recommended. Dr. Carmen Gómez Candela, head of the Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics Unit of the La Paz Hospital in Madrid, warns of cheating in the processed products that flood the shelves of supermarkets and that are already part of our kitchens. A product “without sugar”, “without added sugar” or “with a reduced content of sugars” does not have to have fewer calories than a sugary product, since the law does not require this condition. In fact, there is a paradox that some products of these categories that we do not find in the supermarket have more calories than sugar, because they have to replace the function of “volume allocation” from the addition of fats. The doctor, who participates in the scientific committee of the Institute of Sugar Studies, has no doubts despite the misleading information that often confuses the consumer. «A healthy, balanced and varied diet should contain sugar in moderate amounts and this is what we recommend every day and most of the international nutritional recommendations do it», the problem is when people consume excessive sugar.

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Soft Drinks, are really light?

We thought we knew all about light foods that exist in the market that must have a 30% reduction in their energy value as indicated by current legislation, but the Consumer Services of  Andalucía are controlling these so-called light products and demonstrated that light refreshments are not as light as they say.

Nine samples of soft drinks were analyzed to analyze the alcoholic strength, sugars, sweeteners and fat and to contrast this data with the denomination of light and the declared in the labeling, which is the only information accessed by the consumer. The results unfortunately show that three of the analyzed beverages did not have fewer calories than they should have because they are light.

Light products normally have a higher price justified by their healthier character, because they have a lower energy value, less fat and / or sugars. However, light soft drinks are not so light but they are still expensive and are called as if they were, confusing the consumer.

This type of control campaigns are very useful to defend the consumer and to validate the information that is offered to us.
For the moment, what we should do is reduce the use of these products that most cases are not necessary, but we can also compare the calories that the light product that we want to consume with another non-light product of the same brand, and we will know there if in fact it is a food with reduced calories or if on the contrary, they are called light without really being it.

We must put all these types of products under the microscope before consuming them effectively and not blindly trusting in the energy reduction they declare.

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