5 things you (maybe) don’t know about diabetes

Most of us know that this is a chronic condition related to the body’s inability to produce or use insulin. Even that there are three types. But there are many things that we ignore about it, here are some.

1. Despite being an underdiagnosed disease, it has skyrocketed in recent years.

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates the number of people worldwide with diabetes at 382 million. An overwhelming figure, especially if you look at the retrospective drawn by the Diabetes Atlas, prepared by the IDF. In just two years, from 2011 to 2013, the disease affected 16 million people aged 20 to 79.

2. It is in the group of the deadliest diseases

Many people are unaware of it, but cardiovascular diseases , among which are hypertension , cholesterol, obesity and diabetes are the leading cause of death in Spain. Specifically, diabetes is the sixth cause of death in the country, the lives of more than 25,200 Spaniards are claimed annually.

3. Food is an effective prevention tool

A diet rich in fruit, vegetables, vegetables and fish that reduces alcohol and sugary drinks to a minimum is ideal in the prevention of any cardiovascular disease. Also, in the specific case of diabetes, lentils are especially beneficial . Starch is a slowly absorbed carbohydrate, so that the glucose from this food passes into the blood progressively without causing peaks in blood glucose. Also endives, as this queen of salads is a powerful weapon to reduce blood sugar levels. Recently, the European Association for the Study of Diabetes revealed that eating whole milk (eight or more servings a day) reduces the chances of developing type 2 diabetes by 23%.

4. Diabetes favors the onset of Alzheimer’s

The Report Alzheimer’s World 2014 points out that tobacco, diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure favor the appearance of Alzheimer’s. Along the same lines, the work in hand of a group of researchers from the University of Cádiz points out. So far, the project appears to demonstrate that prediabetes can aggravate Alzheimer’s.

5. Work stress is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes.

Work stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease is nothing new. However, research involving the Institute of Epidemiology II and the Johannes Kruse of the University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg – both in Germany – has shown that it is also related to a higher incidence of type 2 diabetes . Approximately, people who are under a lot of pressure at work have 45% more options to develop this disease, so keeping stress at bay is key to preventing the disease.