Many people suffer from diabetes, especially among the female population. It is a chronic disease that considerably affects the quality of life and that arises when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, thus producing an increase in blood glucose. Type 1 diabetes is a disease that comes on suddenly and cannot be prevented, but the most common type of diabetes is type 2, which mainly affects women and can be prevented in most cases.
The risk of diabetes
- The most frequent diabetes usually appears after the age of 40 and seems to have a clear genetic component, although its main cause is an inadequate lifestyle. In most cases, diabetes is associated with obesity or considerable weight gain due to a poor diet. Women are especially sensitive to this disease during pregnancy and also after menopause, due to hormonal changes.
- There are some very specific risk factors for diabetes, something that facilitates policies for the prevention of this disease. People who have diabetes patients among their relatives, those over 45 years of age, overweight people, obese people and women who have presented gestational diabetes in their pregnancies are especially prone to diabetes.
- Diabetes carries a number of health risks, especially for women. Cases of cardiovascular problems are very frequent and it has been shown that heart attacks are more lethal in women than in men. Kidney diseases and eye conditions can also appear, as well as neurological problems.
Diabetes can be prevented
However, diabetes can be prevented and it is precisely where actions against this disease should be directed. It is important that the population knows that, although the genetic factor is important, maintaining healthy lifestyle habits can prevent the onset of this disease. Eating a healthy diet and regular meal times helps combat obesity, which is the main trigger for diabetes, as well as numerous other health problems.
In addition to a balanced diet that is based on the frequent consumption of fruits and vegetables and avoiding fats, the practice of moderate physical exercise is one of the pillars in the prevention of diabetes. Walking at least 30 minutes a day is an exercise that is within everyone’s reach and has been shown to reduce the risk of diabetes.
In any case, if you are in one of the risk groups or if you feel more tired, very thirsty, have blurred vision and wounds take longer to heal, you should see a doctor for a diabetes test. Regardless of the result, it would not be a bad idea if you began to modify your lifestyle habits as soon as possible and opted for a healthy diet and physical exercise, so you can prevent the appearance of diabetes in the future.
