Diabetes mellitus: Obesity is the most common cause

Diabetes mellitus is a very common disease. 20% of people over 60 in Germany suffer from diabetes.

Diabetes mellitus is a very common disease. 20% of people over 60 in Germany suffer from diabetes mellitus. It is estimated that over 6 million people in Germany are affected by diabetes.

In general, a distinction is made between type 1 and Type 2 diabetes distinguished:

The Type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas can only produce little or no insulin. This increases the blood sugar level, as without insulin, glucose (blood sugar) can no longer be absorbed by the muscle cells or other tissue. Type 1 diabetes was previously known as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes, because it most commonly affects young people and children who have to inject insulin every day. However, type 1 diabetes can occur at any age.

The doctors is practice clinic Bornheim near Cologne, Bonn and Düsseldorf have specialized in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. Over 90% of people over the age of 20 have this form of diabetes. This is why it was previously referred to as adult-onset diabetes. Just like adults, children and adolescents can also develop type 2 diabetes. In addition, many people with type 2 diabetes also need insulin injections to control their blood sugar levels.

Stimulate muscles to use energy

In type 2 diabetes, the pancreas usually produces enough insulin at first. However, the cells become insensitive to insulin - with the result that not enough glucose can be transported from the blood to the muscles and tissue and the blood sugar level increases. After a few years, the amount of insulin produced in the pancreas can also decrease significantly or the pancreas can no longer produce any insulin at all.

Particularly in the case of type 2 diabetes, being overweight is the main risk factor for developing diabetes. Another important risk factor is a lack of exercise; physical exercise stimulates the muscles to absorb glucose and use it as energy. If parents or siblings have type 2 diabetes, the risk of developing diabetes is also increased.

The risk of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes generally increases with age. This is especially true after the age of 45. It may also be related to the fact that as people get older they become less active and therefore lose muscle mass and become overweight. The typical symptoms of type 2 diabetes are severe thirst, constant hunger, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, but also weight gain or tiredness, blurred vision and slow-healing wounds.

Diabetes mellitus can lead to life-threatening damage to the heart, nerves, eyes and kidneys. The probability of suffering from Heart attack The risk of dying is increased by a factor of 4, the probability of Stroke by a factor of 3. In Germany, diabetes is a leading cause of blindness as well as kidney failure and leg amputation.

Nutrition, exercise, weight loss

Fasting blood sugar should be under 100 mg/dl. A blood sugar level of 126 mg/dl or higher is considered diabetes mellitus. The specialists at the Bornheim practice clinic recommend: changing your diet, exercising and losing 5-7% of your weight can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by over 50%. The most important preventive measure to prevent diabetes mellitus is therefore to avoid being overweight and not getting enough exercise.