Diabetes That Ages Cells, Expensive Medications, and Practical Prevention Methods
Hello everyone. Today, I would like to discuss how to prevent the increasingly common Type 2 Diabetes in our surroundings from the perspectives of Health Education and Longevity. I will be sharing this practically from a Medical View.
Diabetes is not a disease that appears suddenly; it gradually takes shape over years of incorrect lifestyle and dietary habits. Therefore, prevention is the most important factor.
Type 2 Diabetes can no longer be defined merely as a disease of elevated blood sugar. According to modern medicine and Longevity perspectives, diabetes has become the main culprit causing Accelerated Cellular Aging in the body. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40423634/)
Diabetes and Premature Cellular Aging
When sugar levels in the blood are constantly elevated, they combine with proteins and lipids in the body to form compounds called Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs). These AGEs destroy cells, causing Oxidative Stress and Chronic Inflammation. As a consequence, blood vessels become stiff, skin becomes wrinkled, the performance of internal organs declines, and you age much faster than normal people. If you want to live a long and healthy life, controlling your blood sugar is an absolute necessity.
If Diabetes Mellitus is not controlled in time, continuously high blood sugar levels will directly destroy blood vessels and nerves throughout the body, leading to the following complications:
Microvascular Complications
Diabetic Retinopathy: Small blood vessels in the retina rupture and get damaged, leading to blurred vision and ultimately, it can be as severe as blindness.
Diabetic Nephropathy: It damages the waste-filtering system in the kidneys, and proteins start to appear in the urine. Over time, it can reach the stages of Chronic Kidney Disease and the need for dialysis.
Diabetic Neuropathy: You may experience numbness, burning sensations, and pain in your toes and fingers. Because sensation is reduced, if you get a cut or wound on your foot, you might easily not notice it, leading to chronic infection, tissue decay, and a very high risk of Amputation.
Macrovascular Complications
Cardiovascular Diseases: It accelerates the accumulation of fats in the blood vessel walls, increasing the risk of blocked arteries and sudden Heart Attacks by many times compared to a normal person.
Cerebrovascular Disease: Reduced blood supply to the brain and blocked blood vessels cause Strokes.
Peripheral Arterial Disease: The narrowing of blood vessels going to the legs causes pain in the calf muscles when walking and makes it difficult for wounds to heal.
Immune System Decline and Other Adverse Effects
More susceptible to infectious diseases: High blood sugar reduces the ability of white blood cells to fight infections. Therefore, conditions like Tuberculosis, Pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and fungal skin infections can easily occur, and they also take longer to treat.
Dental and oral problems: Gum inflammation, tooth sensitivity, and tooth loss can occur much more rapidly.
Since the complications of diabetes can gradually destroy all the important organs of the body, preventing it before it occurs and, if it does occur, receiving systematic treatment is the only best approach.
In Myanmar, I have seen some people who have diabetes but do not know that they should properly consult a doctor and take their medication. Let me advise that if you have diabetes, to avoid suffering from the subsequent complications, you should check your HbA1c at least once every 3 months, carefully consult with a doctor, and take your medication properly.
Moving on, let's explore how to proactively prevent diabetes from occurring...
Preventive Approach
1. Nutrition
In terms of nutrition, the main thing is to avoid sudden Insulin Spikes in your blood sugar.
Choose only Complex Carbohydrates: Readily available white bread and high-sugar foods cause blood sugar to spike quickly. Foods full of fiber, like Wholemeal bread, slow down the absorption of sugar from the intestines. Choose brown rice instead of white rice.
Focus on Micro-nutrients: Green vegetables, nuts, and Healthy fats reduce cellular inflammation and prevent the formation of AGEs.
Time-Restricted Eating: Avoiding eating late at night and fixing your daily eating window gives the pancreas a rest and improves insulin sensitivity.
2. Movement & Exercise
To prevent diabetes, the body needs good Insulin Sensitivity.
Aerobic & Endurance: For me, I regularly do Trail running and Long-distance running on my days off. Running and walking at a steady pace burns off blood sugar.
Strength Training: Going to the gym about 3 or 4 days a week to do Weight training builds Muscle mass. Since muscles are the primary Glucose sink (storage area), the more muscle you have, the lower your chances of getting diabetes. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/preventing-type-2-diabetes
3. Medical View - The Role of Anti-Diabetic Agents
While it is true that diabetes medications are meant to be taken after getting the disease, recent medical studies show that certain anti-diabetic agents are becoming important in preventing the disease (Prediabetes stage) and in Longevity (living a long and healthy life).
Metformin: The most fundamental drug used for decades in treating diabetes. It improves how insulin works, and longevity researchers are currently actively studying whether it has Anti-aging effects.
GLP-1 Receptor Agonists (e.g., Semaglutide/Ozempic): These recently popular drugs control appetite and significantly reduce body weight. They are now even being used in a Preventive role to stop obese individuals from developing diabetes.
SGLT2 Inhibitors (e.g., Empagliflozin, Dapagliflozin): These are drugs that excrete excess blood sugar through urine. Their advantage is that they not only lower blood sugar but also offer special protection to the heart and kidneys, making them very important drugs for long-term health.
The High Cost of Anti-Diabetic Agents
The new medications used in modern diabetes treatment are incredibly potent. Drugs like GLP-1 Receptor Agonists (e.g., Semaglutide/Ozempic) even reduce body weight, and SGLT2 Inhibitors offer special protection for the heart and kidneys. However, the biggest drawback of these drugs is their extremely high price. The monthly cost for long-term oral or injectable use creates a huge burden for an average person. Aside from a basic drug like Metformin, controlling the disease with other modern medications is not always financially easy. Therefore, rather than having the mindset of buying medicine after getting the disease, the Preventive Approach before it happens is the most cost-effective and efficient method.
Health Education & Longevity
Longevity doesn't just mean staying alive until the age of 80 or 90. What's more important is having a long "Healthspan" - where even as you get older, you are not bedridden, but can stand on your own two feet and live actively. Diabetes destroys blood vessels and damages organs like the heart, kidneys, and eyes, making it the biggest enemy of Longevity.
In conclusion, there is no magical method to prevent diabetes. Engage in daily physical activity (whether playing at the gym or running), choose to eat Whole foods, and get a diabetes test if necessary. If you have diabetes, consult a doctor and take diabetes medications. Take preventive measures before it happens.
Instead of relying on expensive medications, if you treat your daily nutrition and regular exercise as a dose of medicine and adapt your lifestyle, you will be able to slow down aging and own a long, healthy life...
Let me invite you to continue reading about Hypertension next...Hypertension, Longevity, Isometric Exercise, and the Medicine 3.0 Perspective
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