Tips For Control and Prevention of Diabetes
Prevention. The dictionary definition of “prevention” is to take steps to keep something from happening.
In the case of a disease like diabetes, you might conclude that there is nothing you can do to avoid it. However, for type 2 diabetes, it is possible to take concrete steps that delay the disease’s onset and reduce its severity.
Preventing type 1 diabetes It is currently impossible to prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes. In most cases, the immune system destroys the cells that produce insulin.
A combination of genetic and environmental factors contributes to this destruction.
Type 1 diabetes occurs among young children, adolescents and young adults. At the present time, researchers do not understand why insulin-producing cells are destroyed or what triggers the process. We also don’t know why this happens at such different ages.
Governments, associations involved in the fight against diabetes and pharmaceutical companies spend millions of dollars each year on research into type 1 diabetes.
The two most promising research avenues are:
• A vaccine: Several ongoing studies show promise. A vaccine would target the immune system and prevent it from attacking the insulin-producing beta cells. • Pancreatic islet cell transplants: For more than 20 years, scientists have been seeking a way to transplant islets of Langerhans, where insulin is produced. Unfortunately, researchers still face many obstacles: rejection of transplanted islets, isolating sufficient quantities of islets, keeping them alive when they are being isolated and transplanted.
Five years ago, a team of researchers from the University of Alberta perfected a method for isolating islets: the Edmonton Protocol. This method simplifies the isolation of islets, lowering the number that are destroyed by using a combination of less aggressive anti-rejection drugs.
In 2002, Diabetes magazine published a very promising report: one year after transplanting islets, 80% of the patients in the study still did not need insulin injections. The research continues: to improve the handling of isolated islets and to find anti-rejection drugs that let islets survive longer.
• Stem cells: The first cells to appear in an embryo are called stem cells. As they develop, these cells specialize, becoming muscle, nerve, heart or bone cells. Could they become insulin-producing cells? Can they be forced in this direction?
Stem cells are also found in adults, in bone marrow, in the skin, spleen, brain, intestines and pancreas. Research on mice has shown that bone-marrow stem cells can change into insulin-producing cells. Once they are transplanted, will they be able to withstand attack from the immune system? Do embryonic stem cells have a better chance than adult stem cells to successfully change AND resist the body’s auto-immune reaction?
A few years ago, scientists tested whether injecting insulin could prevent type 1 diabetes. The hypothesis postulated that by injecting small doses of insulin in persons at risk of developing the disease, the body would develop antibodies to fight the destruction of its beta cells. In June 2001, the researchers concluded that injecting insulin did not prevent type1 diabetes This setback has nonetheless furthered our understanding of the mechanisms at work in the onset of type 1 diabetes, and has led to the identification of new immune markers in people at risk.
Prevention of type 2 diabetes Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes can be prevented.
The factors contributing to the onset of type 2 diabetes are well known: age, a family history of diabetes, being overweight and a sedentary lifestyle. Certain studies also seem to implicate a high-fat diet as a risk factor. However, no one is ever really immune from diabetes even with good lifestyle habits.
We know that certain ethnic groups are at higher risk than others. Hispanics, Asians and people of African descent are more likely than other groups to develop the disease.
About 80% of type 2 diabetics are overweight or obese. This condition is a major risk factor in the onset of this serious and stealthy disease.
The symptoms of this type of diabetes can be so mild that diabetes might not be diagnosed for a long time. On average, a diagnosis can take up to seven (7) years, often after a diabetes-related complication occurs: a major foot infection, haemorrhaging in the eye, a heart attack or stroke. There is no such thing as borderline diabetes or “a little sugar.”
Nutrition
A varied and well-balanced diet is crucial in preventing a disease like diabetes. The secret to healthy eating is to most often select low fat foods, low in salt and without added sugar, while increasing your consumption of high-fibre foods.
By following the recommendations in Canada’s Food Guide to Healthy Eating, all your energy needs will be met. Diabetics also need their own individual meal plan. A dietician can provide one and also review your food habits and suggest ways to improve them.
Exercise
Recent studies have demonstrated that even a slight increase in the amount of exercise has health benefits, especially for sedentary people. Just 30 minutes of exercise a day will suffice! When you increase the amount of exercise, you raise your metabolism. By moving more, you expend more energy. For a diabetic, this means more efficient use of the insulin injected or produced by the pancreas
Source: The World Wide Web! - Back to Homepage
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