Sample popular science article on diabetes prevention

For type 2 diabetes, which accounts for more than 90% of the total number of diabetes cases, as long as the weight is maintained within a reasonable range of BMI 18.5-23.9 for a long time, a cumulative total of more than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week, and excessive intake of high-sugar and high-fat foods are reduced, the disease can be cured. The risk is reduced by more than 60%; high-risk groups with a family history of diabetes insist on annual screening of fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin, which can detect prediabetic lesions 3-5 years in advance. More than 70% of prediabetic people can be completely reversed through lifestyle intervention and will not develop confirmed diabetes.

Last week, I met 42-year-old Sister Zhang when I was doing chronic disease screening in the community. Her mother has a history of diabetes for more than 20 years. The unit test in the first half of the year showed that the fasting blood sugar was 6.4mmol/L, which has already stepped on the red line of early diabetes. She was so scared that she ate boiled vegetables for a month and ran 5 kilometers every day. As a result, she couldn't continue in less than half a month. Later, I adjusted the plan for her. She didn’t have to give up white rice completely. Instead, every meal was replaced with half grains and half white rice. The milk tea she usually drank was changed from full sugar to three-thirds of sugar. She drank no more than 2 cups a week. After eating, she did not lie down on the sofa to check her mobile phone immediately. She went downstairs and walked for 20 minutes. Three months later, her blood sugar had returned to the normal level of 5.3mmol/L, and her overall condition was much better.

There is a fierce debate on the Internet about dietary plans to prevent diabetes. One group advocates strict control over refined sugar, saying that not only high-sugar foods such as milk tea and cakes should be avoided, but also refined rice noodles such as white rice and steamed buns should be replaced with whole grains to avoid rapid rise in blood sugar and burden on the pancreatic islets; In fact, both statements are reasonable. The key point is not to let your pancreatic islets remain in a "continuous spinning" state for a long time - just like if you hold your mobile phone while fast charging and playing high-load games every day, the battery life will definitely be much shorter than normal use.

Many people also have deep misunderstandings about exercise for sugar control. They think that you have to go to the gym to pump iron and run 5 kilometers each time to exercise effectively. This is really not the case. I used to know a 60-year-old Chen. His physical examination revealed that he had pre-diabetes and his knees were bad and he couldn't run. So after dinner every day, he would take a water glass and go for a 20-minute walk in the park, picking up his granddaughter from school. He persisted like this for more than half a year, and the glycated hemoglobin dropped directly from 6.3% to 5.7% during the review. Of course, there are different opinions here: some people say that fasting exercise is more efficient in burning fat and has better blood sugar control effect, while some doctors are clearly opposed to fasting exercise, especially middle-aged and elderly people with poor blood sugar regulation ability. Fasting exercise can easily cause hypoglycemia, but will stimulate a rebound increase in blood sugar, which is not worth the gain. In fact, for ordinary people, there is no need to worry about when to move. As long as you don't sit or lie down all day long, don't sit if you can stand, don't ride in a car if you can walk, moving is better than not moving.

There are also many people who think, "I am young and don't like sweets, so I will definitely not get diabetes." This kind of thinking is really unacceptable. Last month, a 28-year-old programmer was admitted to the outpatient clinic. He is 175cm tall and weighs 200 pounds. He stays up late and works overtime every day to eat takeaways that are heavy in oil and salt. The unit physical examination showed that his fasting blood sugar is 8.2mmol/L, which has reached the standard for diagnosis of diabetes. He has not felt it at all. He does not have the common symptoms of "more drinking, more urination, more eating, weight loss", and he does not like to eat sweets. How could he have diabetes? In fact, many people don’t know that high-calorie foods high in oil and salt can also increase blood sugar. Sitting for long periods of time, staying up late, and long-term stress will all affect insulin sensitivity. These are high-risk factors for diabetes. Especially for people who have a family history, have a BMI over 24, and sit for more than 8 hours, regardless of whether they have symptoms or not, an annual physical examination of fasting blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin for a few dozen dollars is much more reliable than buying hundreds of dollars of anti-diabetic health care products.

I have been in the Department of Endocrinology for almost 8 years and have seen too many patients who could have avoided diagnosis. Many people were lucky, thinking that "diabetes is only caused by the elderly" and "I am in good health and it will be fine if I take a few more bites." When they were really diagnosed and had to take medicine and insulin for life, they regretted not paying more attention. In fact, preventing diabetes is not as difficult as everyone thinks. You don’t have to eat boiled vegetables all the time, and you don’t have to force yourself to do exercises you don’t like. Even if you just replace the full-sugar milk tea you usually drink with three-point sugar, get up and stand for two minutes with a glass of water after sitting for an hour at work, and take one less bus stop to walk home after get off work, these inconspicuous little habits can help you avoid the risk of diabetes. Of course, everyone's body is different. If your blood sugar is really high, don't believe those folk remedies on the Internet that "eating certain foods can reverse diabetes." Go to a regular hospital to see a doctor for evaluation first, which is much more useful than messing around on your own.