According to a study prepared in 2013 by the Spanish Diabetes Society, the most complete made to date, 13.8% of the population suffers from type 2 diabetes, and about 40% do not know.Although early detection is a simple process, as a regular analytical and a second confirmation test is enough, much of the population lives oblivious to the fact that it suffers from diabetes or prediabetes.
"We understand by diabetes blood glucose values above 125 mg, while the altered basal glycemia, known as prediabetes, which can be treated in principle only with changes in lifestyle, comprises values of between 100 and 125 mg", explains José Ramón Calle, medical advisor of the Diabetes Foundation and Endocrinology Specialist at the San Carlos Clinical Hospital of Madrid.
Food is a fundamental factor in both diabetes and prediabetes situations.
Food is a fundamental pillar in both diabetes and prediabetes.First, if diabetes is associated with obesity, it is essential to lose weight and, in turn, eliminate harmful foods.
It is, according to Calle, “to reduce refined carbohydrates, rapid absorption, and bet on integrals.Cereals, non -integral rice and paste or potato, in addition to fruit juices, fire the glucose immediately. ”Said graphically: "If we talk about blood glucose, we like hills much more than peaks."
It is necessary to reduce refined carbohydrates and bet on integrals;Also reduce fruit juices
For this reason, Manell Mata, family doctor of the Institut Català de la Salut, specifically of the primary care center of the mine, in Barcelona, as a family doctor, it is up to many occasions to change some preconceived ideas in some of his patientsWith diabetes about what it means to eat healthy.
“Some believe they eat healthy because they eat a lot of fruit, that in the case of a diabetic it is convenient to consume in moderation and bet on vegetables and vegetables.The consumption of white bread or rice should also be limited, which a priori are healthy, but they have refined carbohydrates and the glucose is triggered. ”In this sense, “there is nothing worse for a diabetic than a boiled rice, which is almost like eating sugar or sweets.Although it sounds weird, a small paella dish is preferable, since the sauce oil delays the absorption of carbohydrates. ”
You must bet on vegetables and vegetables, and moderate the consumption of fruit
Given all this information, it is easy for non -diabetic or prediabetics to, that is, people with blood glucose rates of less than 100 mg, may believe that if they consume rapid absorption carbohydrates, increase the risk of diabetes.Mata reassures them."Some athletes, for example cyclists, eat abundant rice and pasta before a stage, but their body reacts to hydrates immediately segregating more insulin to store them and then get energy throughout the stage."
However, it is advisable to always bet on whole grains, rich in fiber, even if we are not diabetic."They are useful for regulating intestinal transit and it has been shown that they contribute to prevent different types of cancer."
It is essential an early detection of diabetes, which should begin in primary care and could avoid, in much of cases, subsequent complications and even the need for medication.Mata explains, who insists on the need on the part of primary care professionals to “participate proactively in early detection, since there are a number of indications that can suspect that we are facing a type diabetes2 or a prediabetes ”.
"Obesity is, without a doubt, the main risk factor," specifically the measures of the waist: "La Barriga," says Mata.According to the official OSS criteria, the limit of normality is located at 102 cm waist in men and 88 cm in women, although the doctor points out that, especially in the case of women, this data must be interpretedcautious.
obesity is undoubtedly the main risk factor
"When they reach menopause, many women exceed this figure for hormonal changes and continue to enjoy good health," so that the body mass index (BMI) is still used in primary care."When it is greater than 25 it means that there is an overweight that should make the alarm signals jump, and request an analysis that includes fasting blood glucose."
But not only overweight is a diabetes risk factor.There are other indications of this disease that are often overlooked, because, as Mata, the main problem of type 2 diabetes is that in most cases "it is practically asymptomatic."For street, the main symptoms of a possible diabetes are "extreme fatigue, having a dry mouth and therefore thirst and urinating frequently", something that a large part of men of a certain age usually associates with prostate problems.The bad thing about these symptoms is that, when they are gradually established, "they take half seven years from the appearance until the real moment of diagnosis", when in most cases there have already been complications derived from the disease.
have a dry mouth, extreme tiredness and a lot of thirst, they can be symptoms of a diabetes
Mata also points out that in type 2 diabetes it is possible that there is a weight loss without apparent reason, since “by eliminating glucose through urine, the patient can lose weight without being diet”, something that also happensIn type 1 diabetes. "It can happen that a child drinks and urinates a lot, be hungry, and, although it eats a lot, you can lose even the coma if the disease is not diagnosed in time."
You also have to look at other factors."If a patient who is not obese comes but has first degree relatives with diabetes, it is essential to make the screening," Mata explains.Street expands the spectrum "to women who have suffered gestational diabetes during pregnancy, which is convenient to monitor more, and babies who have been born with more than 4 kg without parents being especially large."
If all these factors occur, it is essential to perform an analytical to assess blood glucose levels.For both experts, the desirable is to diagnose the disease when in prediabetes phase, since its appearance can be prevented with changes in lifestyle.The treatment of diabetes is fundamentally addressed from three fronts: “Diet, exercise and medication,” says Calle.
