Diabetes, we hear that term often. I imagine like myself you have not given much thought to this diagnosis rising.
With a bit of research, the news stops one in their tracks. It is truly hard to process. The International Diabetic Federation (IDF) states that 540 million people are diabetic. This is a global epidemic like nothing we have ever seen. 11.6% percent of the population is affected. That means 1 in 10 face this diagnosis. In 2019 there were 1.5 million related deaths. Two short years later in 2021, the number was 6.7 million.
“Diabetes is a pandemic of unprecedented magnitude spiraling out of control,” said IDF President, Professor Andrew Boulton. “Globally, more than one in 10 adults are now living with diabetes. Moreover, there is a growing list of countries where one in five or even more of the adult population has diabetes.”
This is an ugly illness that leads to blindness, kidney failure, heart attacks, stroke, and limb amputations. With one death every two seconds in those 30 to 70 years of age. Treatment protocols can vary daily. It can require calculations and problem-solving skills that can be a challenge. Countless factors affect the complex system that our bodies when healthy regulate seamlessly. Those varying factors make a treatment protocol ever changing. Therefore the prognosis often varies dramatical with education level, commitment to treatment and resources.
From 1980 to 2014 this disease more than quadrupled from 108 million to 422 million people.
The numbers awaken the question as to how we got here.
Many would argue that sugar is the greatest substance of addition on the planet. Sugars in processed food are 8 times more addictive than cocaine. Sugar is a poison to our bodies. We adapt at using and processing small amounts. The food industry hires crave-ability experts to actively make foods that our children will crave. Many argue that even worse is corn syrup. With the Cuban trade embargo sugar prices skyrocketed and corn syrup started to replace sugar in the late 1970s in processed foods making them more shelf staple and sweeter. Now 80% of all food has added sugars.
Diabetics is broken down into two types. Type 1, in 5% of the cases, the body does not produce enough insulin through an autoimmune process. Type 2, in 95% of cases, the body loses the ability to use insulin over time. Type 1 is not preventable and traditionally was the only type we diagnosed in children and teens. The truly shocking numbers are from the CDC as they project the cases in 2060. In children and teens, at the current rate of increase Type 1 cases will increase by 65% and Type 2 cases by 700%.
It is chilling to think of how many children died with Type 1 before the discovery of insulin as a treatment in 1922. Imagine one of medicine’s most incredible moments as a room full of comatose children on the pathway to death awoke one by one as they were given insulin injections.
The good news is that now 100 years later we have insulin choices, pumps, and sensors that grant real time information and allow continuity in treatment. Type 1 diabetics now have a real chance at living a long productive life. We are in need of another miracle breakthrough to calm this epidemic.
This diagnosis is hard for an adult and especially for a child. I have a teen in my life who has faced this diagnosis for as long as he can remember. At times he feels separated from his peers. He speaks of craving sugar. He asked me if I knew that sugar was more addictive than drugs. His blood sugar will drop with normal activity like shooting hoops and spike when carbs aren’t listed correctly on foods. What he dislikes the most is his cravings for sugar. He has to deal with in-depth analysis of everything he puts in his mouth, calculating carbs to enter into his pump. It can be exhausting and some days he just wishes to ignore it. It is very challenging for a 15-year-old to understand consequences like future kidney failure, heart disease, and blindness when a monitor goes off. However, thank goodness he lives in a time where the monitor is there to go off. He has every opportunity for a long healthy life.
I have a family member that faces Type 1 as well. She is a nurse and appears to be a pro at managing her blood sugar levels. She strongly encourages attending diabetic classes that are led by certified diabetic educators. It is important to understand dietary needs, glucose monitoring, nutrition, and treatment protocols.
Type 2 diabetes has been correlated to diet. It is possible to maintain normal blood glucose levels after diagnosis with diet changes and weight loss. According to Heart.org, the average American consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar per day. We know almost all of us consume an excess amount of sugar. Unfortunately, we do not understand the complex effects of dietary trends like decreased milk consumption, increased artificial sweeteners, and decreased beef consumption. We are on the side of the abyss of comprehending our lack of understanding of how our gut health contributes to all diseases. One thing we know is that the current action plan is not working. Things are exponentially getting worse.
We need our intellect to attack this issue. We need to pivot. It is truly time for an awakening. The unprecedented rise in cases worldwide must be addressed. We have to answer the why. The impact on lives, economic forces, quality of life, productivity, Alzheimer’s, and other secondary issues, is truly immeasurable. We need resources, awareness, research, regulatory and cultural change.
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