How do we know when we are affected by a disease that doesn’t give a clear sign of its presence?
It is a tricky and concerning question because we are surrounded by information, articles as well as true stories and it all increases our level of attention. Or, sometimes, and in spite of these alerts, it makes us too careless and we just carry on with our lives since we face a wall.
Diabetes is certainly one of the silent diseases. It can develop and grow within us and many signs are pointing to the alert button but it still takes time before we admit the problem is here. Then, we need to act swiftly and search for trustful specialists to check our status and guide us through the process that may, hopefully, get us back to a healthy status or as close as possible to it.
Getting back a good health is probably the most desirable for those who suffer from any disease, however grave or small it is. That is why we suppose that a strict diet regulation and severe cut in calorie intake are acceptable for patients with a diabetes diagnosis. One additional measure that is highly recommended by the experts and researchers is lifestyle changes. Although this may sound an easy thing to do, and which can be implemented gradually, painlessly and comfortably, it is actually a crucial step that has produced the most positive results in the long run, even putting the disease in complete remission in some cases.
For example, several recent and connected research studies have shown, fairly conclusively, that a key factor in the onset of Type 2 diabetes, and the continued presence of the disease, appears to be obesity or severe overweight. Further, one study has demonstrated that weight-loss, through a very strict low calorie diet maintained over a relatively short period initially (8 weeks) and extended out to six months, could successfully reverse the Type 2 condition, even for those who may have been suffering from the disease for up to 10 years. Although they may still be technically obese or severely overweight, even after the diet, they had continued to be diabetes free. However, it is clear that this was a study including only overweight people and, therefore, the recovery programme may not work for everyone who is a sufferer. In our opinion, this seems like a reasonable and not overly demanding condition that can keep one away from the disease. Just bear in mind that, if not managed and controlled, diabetes can lead to rather complicated and threatening life conditions.
So, it seems that, in order to avoid this very dangerous silent disease, we must pay great attention to our BMI (Body Mass Index) which is a good indicator of our „weightyness“ status, and thus, initially, our diet.
Good safe eating!
Sources:
https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/archive/2016/03/profroytaylordiabetesresearch/
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/landia/article/PIIS2213-8587(18)30234-1/fulltext#back-bib14