5 Surprising Facts About Diabetes

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Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by the body’s inability to use insulin effectively. An astonishing 347 million people all over the world have diabetes, according to statistics collected by the World Health Organization in 2014, with 90% of those cases being regarded as the kind you get from today’s modern lifestyle. We’ve listed 5 surprising facts about this condition with the goal of helping you understand it better.

1. There Are More than 2 Types of Diabetes
We’ve all heard that there’s Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, which differ in insulin’s mechanism of action in the person’s body. Children and teenagers are the most likely sufferers of Type 1 Diabetes, as this is acquired through genetics and has an early onset. Type 2 Diabetes, on the other hand, is acquired through a lifestyle too commonly convenient to all of us today. A diet consistently high in sugar and processed food, lack of exercise, and prolonged stress at work or home can result in Diabetes Type 2 as early on in a person’s life as 35-40 years of age.

However – there’s diabetes that you only get while you’re pregnant, diabetes you can only get before you turn the age of 25, and the type only infants get. Diabetes is a disease mostly classified by the time of its onset, and not all of these types need insulin therapy. ^[1] Which makes for the various types and subtypes of this insulin resistance anomaly of the human body.

2. Diabetes Medication may cure Alzheimer’s Disease
Some new research is considering Alzheimer’s disease as Type 3 of diabetes. ^[2] Studies have shown that insulin sensitivity and resistance may be directly linked to brain degeneration. This study is promising in finding a cure for Alzheimer’s, as experiments have shown that the brain cells that deteriorate when a person suffers from Alzheimer’s tend to be protected by insulin and other diabetes medications.

3. Eating Oatmeal Reduces the Chances of Getting Diabetes
Eating your oatmeal everyday, or hitting your 35 grams per day dietary recommendation for fiber, reduces the chances of getting diabetes by 19% according to research. ^[3] A prolonged period of 6 to 20 years of eating oats everyday was also linked to decreased risk of colon cancer, although it won’t protect your colon from bad food and alcohol. Note that this study involved dietary fiber and not fiber through supplements. Some doctors will tell you that adding your recommended daily amount of oatmeal, nuts, seeds, berries, and vegetables is more recommended than fiber supplements, not to mention that some of those foods give you a boost of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

4. You May Have Diabetes Without Knowing It
A new term for a condition that has been going on for years is pre-diabetes; a condition wherein your blood sugar level is 101-125 mg/dL. These numbers still put you within the normal range, which is 90-125 mg/dL, but a blood sugar level that high puts you at a dangerous risk for type 2 diabetes in the near future. ^[4]

5. Some Diabetes May Be Preventable
Healthy lifestyle changes will greatly decrease the chances of you getting Type 2 diabetes. ^[5] At the very least, it will delay its onset if you dedicate yourself to making the proper adjustments to your daily routines. Smoking, drinking alcohol, and regular intake of processed food high in unhealthy fat are all linked to developing type 2 diabetes. Getting rid of those factors altogether and switching to a healthy diet while taking up a regular exercise regimen will greatly increase your chances at staying fit and healthy.

Further Reading:

Top 10 Herbs For Diabetes

Bitter Melon Found By Scientists to Kill Cancer Cells Selectively And Stop Diabetes