Diabetes
Diabetes is a prominent disease with a strong commonality within society. Because of its prevalence, the topic’s complexity must be dissected in order to improve public health. Analyzing and further discovering the causes and biochemistry of the disease could increase the possibility to navigate through solutions. Although there are current clarifications through a wide variety of studies, acknowledging them is the catalyst that will facilitate progressive societal health. Diabetes can stimulate more health conditions which may unravel with age and time, but there are numerous strategies one can utilize to control the disease. Therefore, understanding the causes which effectuate the disease allows for modifications in diet and lifestyle, both overarching themes that may alleviate the burden.
In order to consider solutions, one must discern how the cells operate within a diabetic person, whether it be type one or type two diabetes. In type one diabetes, the severity is urgent, as one needs to intake insulin everyday in order to survive. This is due to the fact that in a type one diabetic person’s body, an individual’s immune system attacks itself by demolishing the cells which produce insulin in the pancreas. The pancreas producing little to no insulin leads to the inability for glucose to penetrate cells and overall assemble energy. The immune system’s position is to battle damaging bacterias and viruses but in the case of type one diabetes, the immune system mistakenly dismantles the insulin producing cells in the pancreas (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). In a healthy individual, the pancreas is able to emit insulin into the bloodstream, and as the insulin flows it allows for sugar to enter the cells. Insulin must break down glucose into energy so with type one diabetes, sugar intensifies and increases in the bloodstream which is the overarching cause for the complications which follow.
In type two diabetes, too much sugar is circulating in the bloodstream with no disintegration into energy with the help of insulin. The cause of this is similar to type one diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. However, type one diabetes is more severe due to the fact that the cells take in no amount of sugar because of fatally low insulin levels, hence the daily insulin injections. It also holds more severity because the immune system is essentially attacking the wrong bacteria as it is killing islet cells. In type two diabetes, the cells in muscle, fat, and the liver simply respond unsuccessfully towards insulin and are unable to encompass more sugar. As blood sugar hightens, the body responds by the release of insulin in the pancreas but as the body demands more and the pancreas is unable to produce how much is needed, glucose continues to build and the blood sugar rises (Mayo Clinic, 2021).
In response to the disease, one must alter their diet and lifestyle in order to control their illness. Diet is a significant contributor to neutralizing the impact of diabetes because maintaining a low sugar, healthy regime will inhibit the consumption of excess sugar a diabetic body must attempt to break down despite its struggle. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends to choose baked, steamed, grilled, or broiled food instead of other cooking methods in effort to reduce a high fat and high calorie diet (2020). Choosing to cook foods or consume foods which were produced with the goal to keep the body fit will make the strain of diabetes on a person less detrimental. Understanding that glucose and unhealthiness originates from one’s diet is a huge step in aiding a diabetic body, which already struggles with breaking food down into energy.
Exercise is a dominant component to managing one’s diabetes because it helps lower blood sugar levels and makes the body more sensitive to insulin. It has been proven that exercise lowered hemoglobin levels by 0.7 percentage point in people who were already taking medications and modifying their diet. Therefore, there was persistent improvement with exercise even after other techniques were being utilized to maintain a body experiencing diabetes. Exercise like resistance training and aerobic exercise has also been proven to prevent and lower insulin resistance, which is the body’s inability to produce insulin that is needed for glucose to transform into energy (Harvard Health Publishing, 2021).
With further analysis, a research was conducted in order to inspect diet and exercise among people who possessed type 2 Diabetes. Researchers analyzed information from 1,480 adults where a questionnaire about fruit and vegetable consumption inspected their diets as well as the percentages of the calories and fat consumed over a 24 hour period. Exercise was also based on each participant reporting it themselves. The results revealed that 31% participated in no consistent physical activity and 38% reported their physical activity is less than the recommended, as well as 62% consumed less than five servings of fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. This led to the conclusion that among the participants, the majority were overweight and did not maintain a stable diet or lifestyle. Healthy diet and exercise consistency has been proven to improve insulin sensitivity and can also decrease the necessity of medications for the disease if an individual is accordant (Nelson, Reiber and Boyko, 2002). Therefore, poor nutrients and the resistance towards routine changes can increase the risks and severity of Diabetes but a quality diet and movement routine would benefit an average diabetic.
In addition, there are specific foods that contribute to the severity of one’s diabetes. It has been proven by researchers in the following study that food with high cholesterol contributes to diabetes. Some of the food outlined include meats, eggs, and seafood. The cholesterol content for specific foods in milligrams was expanded upon where a 3 ounce serving size of liver has 370 milligrams of cholesterol, 1 egg has 200 milligrams of cholesterol, a 3 oz lobster has 175 milligrams of cholesterol, a 3 ½ oz piece of fried chicken has 130 milligrams of cholesterol, and a 3 ounce hamburger has 85 grams of cholesterol. Interestingly, a typical diet in America commonly possesses 300-400 milligrams of cholesterol which is one of the highest levels observed in the entire population (Timberlake, 243). This is a fact to note, as 34.2 million American people in 2018 were observed to possess Diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020). Digesting foods with low cholesterol will allow a lower chance of heart disease and will also allow blood to flow through the arteries in an uncomplicated way which is a risk one has when handling diabetes.
Therefore, if I was to continue this research I would analyze the differences in Diabetes among differing groups of people in age or ethnicity. It has been briefed that type one Diabetes is more common in children, and type two Diabetes is common in older individuals but examining the deeper causes would be beneficial in curating more solutions. Comprehending the origins is a step in the right direction, because the solutions can further accommodate specific people. There has been research done pertaining to the percentages of diabetics based on ethnicity, but the causes behind it have not been extensively developed. Determining such contributors paves the way for clarifications within the disease and can undoubtedly bridge the association towards productive research.
