Even at a young age, many people today live an unhealthy lifestyle. They are heavily overweight, exercise too little, and eat too much food high in fat and sugar - the main reasons for type 2 diabetes. Today - on World Diabetes Day - we want to educate you about the disease and show you how exercise can help!
What is diabetes?
Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease. The body either cannot produce insulin (type 1) or cannot use it sufficiently (type 2).
→ Diabetes type 1
Type 1 diabetes is one of the autoimmune diseases. Affected individuals have to inject themselves with insulin every day because their pancreas does not produce any or not enough insulin.
Insulin, a chemical messenger, is transported in the blood and regulates important body functions. If the body does not have enough insulin, it cannot utilize the food it takes in. Certain cells of the pancreas are responsible for producing insulin and releasing it into the blood. In people with type 1 diabetes, it is precisely these cells that are attacked and destroyed by the body's own immune system. The sugar in the blood cannot be used without insulin, so it accumulates there. This results in a high concentration of sugar in the blood, which causes the symptoms of diabetes.
If sufferers inject themselves with insulin, this protects them from excessive fluctuations in blood sugar levels and from hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. It is also intended to prevent diseases that develop as a result of excessively high blood sugar. If type 1 diabetes is not treated, the typical symptoms such as thirst, frequent urination, weight loss and fatigue quickly develop. However, these can be alleviated very well by injecting insulin.
Type 1 diabetes usually forms in childhood, adolescence or young adulthood. It rarely affects older people.
→ Type 2 diabetes
In type 2 diabetes, affected individuals have elevated blood glucose levels due to insulin resistance. This means that the body's cells do not respond enough to insulin. Insulin normally directs sugar from the blood into the cells. This no longer succeeds sufficiently in the case of insulin resistance. As a result, sugar builds up in the blood vessels and blood sugar levels rise.
Type 2 diabetes carries risks that are not noticeable on the outside. Inside the body, it causes long-term damage to blood vessels, nerves and organs. Consequential diseases can include heart attacks, strokes or problems with blood circulation in the legs and feet. If there is too much sugar in the blood over many years, this can also lead to kidney weakness, retinal damage and nerve disorders.
Around 90 percent of all diabetes sufferers have type 2 diabetes. In the past, this type was often referred to as "old-age diabetes" because it mainly affects people of advanced age. Nowadays, more and more younger - mostly overweight - people are also suffering from it.
What are the causes of diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. It is not known where it comes from. This type of diabetes mellitus can only be prevented to a limited extent by a healthy lifestyle. Predisposition plays a certain role. Nevertheless, not everyone who has a parent with type 1 diabetes develops the disease themselves. In 90 percent of those affected, there is no one in the immediate family with the same disease.
The main causes of type 2 diabetes are obesity, lack of exercise, and a diet high in fat and sugar. However, genetic predisposition also promotes the development of the disease.
How widespread is diabetes?
Diabetes is one of the most widespread diseases worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 350 million people around the world are affected.
There are no reliable figures for Germany, because diabetes mellitus is not a notifiable disease in this country. It is estimated that almost seven million people in Germany suffer from diabetes. The number of unreported cases is probably much higher, because many people do not know they have the disease.
Exercise is the be-all and end-all
How diabetes is treated depends primarily on the type of disease. Type 1 diabetics require lifelong insulin therapy. A healthy diet and exercise can and should also play a role as supplements. Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, because to date it is not possible to prevent this disease.
For many type 2 diabetics, a change in lifestyle is sufficient as a therapy. This includes weight reduction, diet, healthy eating and sufficient exercise. Tablets or insulin injections can also be used for this type.
Exercise is not only important in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. It is also the most effective means of prevention, according to doctors and medical studies. Those who are physically active can lose excess weight and prevent prevent high blood pressure and thus reduce the risk of developing diabetes. Even a little physical activity has a positive effect and can be incorporated into everyday life - for example, walking more often instead of driving, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
Diabetes sports in health and fitness studios
Due to personnel, equipment and structural conditions, many health and fitness studios manage to offer sports and exercise programs for diabetics. Such facilities can receive the "Fitness Training for Diabetics" quality seal from TÜV Rheinland. This was developed by the Diabetes and Sports Working Group of the German Diabetes Association (DDG) together with TÜV Rheinland. The project was also supported by diabetesDE - Deutsche Diabetes-Hilfe. In this way, people with diabetes receive help in selecting the right studio that offers services tailored to their needs. The studios can map their high quality standards and show that they are qualified to provide training for diabetics.
The ideal forms of exercise for diabetics include a mix of Strength- and endurance training together with exercises for flexibility and coordination. Exercising your muscle strength has positive effects on the whole body: trained muscles promote our health and performance. They strengthen our immune system as well as the heart muscle and activate the blood vessels. In short, muscle training is a very good way to prevent and treat diabetes.
The prerequisite for successful training is always that those affected enjoy and have fun with the form of training. Before diabetes sufferers start exercising, a doctor should be consulted in any case. Patients should measure their blood glucose levels before, during and after training to avoid hypoglycemia.
EMS training is also possible with diabetes. Read more at EMS-TRAINING.com!
Editors fitnessmarkt.de (SIS)
Image source (lower image): #70582417 © Kzenon / Adobe Stock
Published on: 14 November 2018