28.03.2024

Living with diabetes: the role of nutrition and exercise, insulin.

Diabetes is an insidious disease, it is called the invisible killer because a person can for a long time to live with this disease and not know it. In the meantime, diabetes slowly destroys his body. Is there any hope for such patients?

There is hope, but you need to realize the seriousness of their illness and follow the doctor’s instructions aimed at treatment of diabetes. Is it possible a fulfilling life with diabetes?

Due to the nature of the disease type 1 diabetes when the immune system destroys the pancreas, preventing it is impossible. But scientists are constantly conducting studies of genetic risk factors to find ways to inhibit this destruction.

Life with diabetes – the role of nutrition and physical education:

With regard to type 2 diabetes, here the situation is simpler. Many people with a genetic predisposition to diabetes, monitor your diet, lead an active lifestyle and regular exercise to prevent the onset of symptoms of the disease. They try to keep in good physical shape and weight do not allow obesity.

Experts have found that the most dangerous is the excess of fat deposits on waist (when the shape of the body in the form of an Apple), than the excess of fat deposits on the thighs (when the shape of the body in the form of a pear).

When type 2 diabetes is better to pick an individual diet, taking into account your condition, weight, pressure, and other personal factors. From the diet excludes foods rich in carbohydrates. Importantly, to prevent an overabundance of them. A quarter of the diet should be protein foods: lean meat or fish, chicken. A quarter of the diet – carbohydrates: brown rice, boiled potatoes (not more than 250 g per day), buckwheat. And half of the diet should consist of vegetables. Is tasty and plentiful – it does not harm their health and maintain blood sugar levels, as a healthy person!

According to one study of the female body clarified how important physical exercise – even a short physical exercise increases the sensitivity of glucose by body cells for more than 24 hours, and this reduces the risk in women of developing type 2 diabetes. Therefore, scientists recommend that moderate exercise several times a week, preferably every day for 30 minutes. Regular walking is the best and safe form of exercise. The more research performed by scientists, the more evidence that regular exercise make a huge difference.

How to increase physical activity? If you’ve never played sports, it is better to start with a 10 minute daily classroom exercises, and then gradually increase to 30 minutes a day. Every day before Breakfast and after dinner walk at a quick pace. Try not to use the Elevator, and it is better to climb the stairs. Several stops along the walk. Any physical activity perform with pleasure, so your body easily tuned to stabilization.

It is worth noting that diabetics should exercise under the supervision of experts in order to harmonize them with the time of food and insulin. Before each exercise it is necessary to check blood sugar levels. If his record is low, before and after a workout you need a snack to prevent a dangerous hypoglycemic state, which dramatically decreases the blood sugar and can happen into a diabetic coma.

Also, do not forget that in diabetes there is a violation, cardio-vascular and nervous system, poor circulation and sensitivity. So a simple scratch on the foot, which is not noticed, can lead to a serious problem. If it will get infected, it forms an ulcer, which without timely treatment can lead to amputation of the limb.

Special care should be taken by smokers suffering from diabetes. Because Smoking damages the heart and circulatory system, there is a narrowing of the blood vessels. According to the statistics of amputations performed in 95% of patients with diabetes who smoke.

Life with diabetes – insulin:

Many patients with diabetes on a daily basis to monitor the level of blood glucose and inject insulin several times a day. But diet and regular physical exercise allow some people with type 2 diabetes to go without insulin therapy, at least temporarily. And patients with type 1 diabetes through regular exercise increases the efficiency of insulin injections, the result is a daily dose of insulin can be reduced by 20%.

Some people with type 2 diabetes drugs help tablets that stimulate the pancreas to produces more insulin, or reduce the level of blood sugar or decrease insulin resistance. But patients with type 1 diabetes drugs in pill is not usually prescribed.

Insulin is currently administered only by injection, because this protein before being included in the blood breaks down in the digestive process. It is worth Recalling that neither pills nor insulin therapy do not cancel physical exercise and dieting.

Do not despair, if there is a need to take insulin injections. Whatever type of diabetes need to control blood sugar levels in order to reduce health problems. Recent studies have shown that patients with type 1 diabetes who followed the sugar levels largely decreased manifestations of diseases of the kidneys, eyes and nervous system. For example, these patients risk retinopathy (eye disease) decreased by 76%. Also in type 2 diabetes there are good results if patients control the blood sugar level.

The most common tools in insulin therapy is the pen with very fine needles. Thanks to them, insulin therapy is less discomfort. According to the majority of patients with diabetes, usually the first shot is the most painful, but then no pain from injections is not felt already.

For injection of insulin, there are other tools: auto-injectors, which helps to insert the needle under the skin, painless, needleless injectors, insulin injection in a thin stream through the skin, the pumps that injected insulin through a subcutaneous catheter set for 2-3 days.

Recently used an insulin pump having the size of a pocket pager. In accordance with the program, he through a catheter to inject insulin at a certain time, taking into account the individual daily need. This method is more accurate and convenient for insulin therapy.

Living with diabetes – to know more about the disease:

For the treatment of patients with diabetes there are many methods, but universal means that everyone, no. Each person needs to take into account several factors before you decide which one to choose treatment even when it is under the supervision of experts. Without systematic self-education medical treatment of diabetes can be considered defective. You need to replenish your knowledge.

The more people with diabetes will know about your disease, the easier it will be to monitor the state of their health, have good health, and prolong your life. To obtain such knowledge it is necessary to be patient. Do not try to know everything – so you can only get confused and the user will not be able to be applied effectively. Besides, most of the information you will not find in any books and brochures, but only in your body. You will need time to trial and error to determine changes in the level of sugar in the blood in accordance with a particular activity. For example, you can learn how your body responds to stress which sharply raises the sugar level, if you carefully observe yourself. Many people with diabetes, learning to listen to your body, even with long-standing diabetic “experience” lead a full life.

Living with diabetes – how you can help family members:

Family support and good relations for patients with diabetes, especially for children and young people, play a very important role – they help them live with diabetes. Family members is also useful to learn more information about diabetes and to accompany the patient to the doctor. Then you will be better able to assist him, learn to identify important symptoms and behave in different situations.

Watching carefully for a sick family member, you will learn how to accurately determine when it is too low blood sugar levels. For example, it can be a delayed reaction, it can calm down the middle of a conversation, can become frustrated and angry for no reason, sweating profusely, turn pale.

Patients with diabetes, doctors suggest always carry a ID card and a special bracelet that others will not mistake the symptoms of low amount of sugar with another disease or alcohol intoxication. It might just save their life.

Showing love and patience to the patient with diabetes to a family member or friend, you will facilitate his illness and help to cope with difficulties.

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