The most important thing about the common disease type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes can be inherited. “But the main causes are obesity and lack of exercise,” says Christoph Stettler (51), MD, head of endocrinology and diabetology at Bern Inselspital. A person’s body that eats too much food eventually becomes unable to keep up with the processing of sugar in the blood. At some point, the hormone that brings sugar to our organs in the form of energy – insulin – is no longer enough and decreases. As a result, blood sugar rises in the long run. If your blood sugar level is consistently too high, you are very likely to have type 2 diabetes.

“Increased sugar levels in the blood alter blood vessels and nerves. This promotes indirect damage,” says Christof Stettler. These include vascular diseases such as heart attacks, strokes or thrombosis. Also, high blood sugar can affect vision up to blindness. The disease often results in death. Type 2 diabetes in Switzerland in 2020 It was the eighth leading cause of death. Sudden symptoms of high blood sugar are not specific at first: thirst, general weakness, fatigue. Because the disease develops insidiously, it often goes undetected for a long time. “Vicious,” Stettler says.

Depending on the severity of diabetes, regular exercise combined with a healthy diet is enough to improve or even normalize blood sugar, Stettler says. “Any type of exercise helps lower blood sugar.” Also, type 2 diabetes can be treated with prescription medications that stimulate metabolism and suppress appetite. Stettler says the disease can be cured by taking early action. “To do this, the body must still be able to produce insulin.” If this is no longer possible, people with type 2 diabetes are dependent on regular external insulin intake.

Stettler recommends having a check-up once a year, starting at age 40. It makes sense to have an earlier check-up if there are risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure or a family history of diabetes. Long-term blood glucose, called the HbA1C value, can be measured by your family doctor with a simple blood test. The sooner you notice unusually high values, the sooner you can resist the disease.

Stettler cites two aspects of preventing diabetes: exercise and nutrition. The Swiss Society of Endocrinology recommends half an hour of endurance or moderate strength training five times a week. Stettler says this isn’t realistic for everyone. “The same goes here: any form of exercise is better than nothing.” He adds that more can be achieved with less effort through nutrition. If the carbohydrate rate is low and contains enough fiber and protein, this helps to relax the metabolism. Longer breaks between meals and light dinners are also effective. “This way, the body’s insulin balance is not overloaded and can recover better overnight.”