Does sugar cause diabetes? An expert debunred the myth once for all

There are many factors in play with diabetes diagnoses of type 2.


If you have already been near a dessert table, you have probably heard a joke onDiabetes. Whether it's someone avoiding a frosted cake or trying to ensure their guilt to eat a piece of candy, there is an omnipresent idea that if you eat too many sweets, you will develop diabetes Type 2. But in reality, many factors contribute to the disease - and you are not going to develop it simply because you have decided to eat a cupcake or a spoon of ice cream.

In addition to the fact that the additionsugar It is only a piece of the puzzle, the idea that only sugar is responsible for diabetes diagnoses can contribute to grease and biased thinking. Tell people with diabetes that they "have this to themselves" are not useful, and it simplifies the many factors associated with the disease.

To go to the bottom of what really causes diabetes, we asked Billie Karel, Mph, Rd, LDN, CDE withLutz, Alexander & Associates Tharation Therapy in Raleigh, NC, to put a light on someCommon mistake around diabetes.

What really causes type 2 diabetes?

"Type 2 diabetes is a complex disease that seems a bit different for every person who has it," says Karel. "It comes from a somewhat different combination of factors for each individual, it can behave a little differently, and it will require somewhat different combinations of lifestyle drugs and modifications to manage."

According toAmerican Association of DiabetesSome of the factors that can contribute to your risk of developing diabetes include:

  • have a parent with diabetes
  • Do not maintain a regular physical activity
  • have high blood pressure
  • Have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCO)

"Genetics contributes a lot to the risk of someone with type 2 diabetes, but the exact amount probably varies between individuals," says Karel.

Other Karel factors list as associated with a higher risk for type 2 diabetes include:

  • age
  • Stress
  • Trauma and AS (unfavorable experiences of childhood)
  • Exposure to some environmental pollutants
  • History of weight cycling (ie a yo-yo diet)
  • Low physical activity level
  • poor diet

How is the sugar factor added?

Insulin resistance can result in high blood glucose, which could, in turn, lead to a diagnosis of type 2. These are not simply added sugars that are to blame, although the type of carbohydrates you eat you eat can also affect blood glucose.

"People may think that added sugar (or any sugar) causes type 2 diabetics, and so that people with type 2 diabetes were to have caused the condition itself by eating too much sugar. It is not Just not so simple, "says Karel. "While a high diet in added sugars can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, many people who consume addicted sugars are never, and others who eat comparatively little sugar still do Type 2 diabetes."

What about blood sugar?

"Insulin resistance is the key mechanism that leads to the elevation and development of type 2. diabetes that means that body muscles and other work tissues are less sensitive (or more resistant) to the insulin that the pancreas made, "says Karel. "For a moment, the pancreas continues to make extra insulin, so that blood glucose remains normal (although other things can start changing - for many insulins increases, can cause high blood lipids and a gain weight, even before it affects blood glucose). When someone's pancreas can not continue, their blood sugar will start increasing, and that's what triggers a diagnosis with type 2. "diabetes"

And in terms of blood sugar, added sugars found in candies or desserts are not the only thing to fear. As theAmerican Diabetes Association explains,refined carbohydrates, like white bread, can also affect blood glucose. If you have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes or prediabe, make sure your diet is rich in food with aLow glycemic index, like whole grains, rather than white bread.

RELATED: Sugar-free recipes, you can not wait to eat.

What other factors have an impact on the risk of type 2 diabetes?

Blame a person with type 2 diabetes for their eating habits is not useful for treating the condition, either the story either. "Added sugar is just a relatively small piece of the puzzle of what constitutes a" high quality diet "and poor food grade is just one of the many risk factors for type 2 diabetes, said Karel. It lists factors likeFood insecurity And stress as examples of reasons why people might undercover (and later to eat too much), which can also affect blood glucose.

Karel also states that socio-economic factors play a role in the risk factors for diabetes and health more generally. "Even having enough food, people may not be able to get a wide variety to support balanced nutrition if they do not have transport to the nearest grocery store selling perishable foods like fruit , vegetables, meats and dairy products, or if this grocery store does not sell many foods at prices they can afford, "she says." This is particularly difficult for people in rural areas or Those who do not have reliable transportation to get to the store, then at home of their grocery store. "

There is no unique factor that determines the risk of someone for type 2 diabetes, and it's certainly not as simple as "eating too much sugar". Of course, eating a balanced diet is an essential part of the management of diabetes and other conditions of health, but when it comes toDiagnose type 2 diabetesThere are many other factors involved.


Categories: Healthy Eating
Tags: diabetes / Sugar
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