What is diabetes? When the body’s blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high – the condition is called diabetes. It is majorly caused due to kidney failure, heart attack, stroke, blindness, lower limb amputation. Though it is a deadly disease, it can be treated and its consequences can be avoided or delayed with diet, physical activity, medication, treatment for complications, and regular screening.
This ailment is of two types – type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. The main point of difference between the two types is that type 1 diabetes is a genetic disorder, and it often shows up early in life, while type 2 diabetes is largely diet-related and it develops over time due to a poor lifestyle.
Stating that the type 2 condition is more organic than man-made, fitness entrepreneur and functional medicine coach, Vijay Thakkar told Hindustan Times that type 2 diabetes is mostly a product of lifestyle which induces insulin resistance in the body. “Although genetics can also be a cause, relevant lifestyle changes can keep diabetes in check and postpone its resurgence,” he asserted.
According to the expert, a sedentary lifestyle could play a major role in developing type 2 diabetes in adulthood as muscles are the largest storage of blood sugar. He explained that alcohol and tobacco usage only assists the condition in spiralling out faster. “Simply including regular exercise and giving up on tobacco usage will help your body fight this problem naturally,” he added.
Thakkar also shared several tips to reverse diabetes:
- Follow a low-calorie diet, by including fresh fibre rich and green vegetables, lean meat, fruits, nuts, whole-grain foods, legumes, and pulses.
- Weight management can put diabetes into reverse gear, therefore stick to a healthy diet and skip all the junk and fried foods that can possibly increase your weight.
- Avoid processed foods, especially those which include white flour and sugar as these two elements tend to induce fat build-up and obesity.
