Introduction to diabetes

According to statistics on diabetes in the world in 1980, there were about 108 million patients, in 2014 the numbers rose to 422 million adults, 4.7% of the total world population, in 2016 the number rose to 8.5%. As it turns out, the incidence has doubled over the years.

According to the World Health Organization, millions of people die from this disease and its complications every year. In 2012, more than 3 million people died. The highest mortality rate is recorded in countries where the population has low incomes and a low standard of living. About 80% of deaths due to this disease live in countries of Africa and the Middle East. From 2017, every eight seconds in the world one person dies from this disease, according to the expert report. The development of diabetes by 2030 will lead to a doubling of the number of patients compared to 2010. This disease will be among the main causes of human death.

If the current lifestyle continues, one in three adults will be diagnosed with diabetes by 2050; the majority of cases will involve the elderly and ethnic minorities.

Definition of diabetes

The word “diabetes” comes from ancient Greece and means “passage,” referring to the frequent urination associated with it.

Diabetes (DM) is a chronic condition associated with abnormally high blood sugar levels, which is the body’s inability to use insulin properly, due to a range of related diseases.

Types of diabetes

It is divided into two types:

Type 1 (T1D):

It occurs when the body is running out of insulin, and it is an autoimmune disorder that attacks and slowly destroys the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas. As a result, the pancreatic cells stop producing insulin. T1D is usually diagnosed with type 1 diabetes during childhood or adolescence.

Type II (T2D):

For people with this type, the pancreas still makes insulin, but body tissues are partially unable to respond to insulin. Often referred to as insulin resistance, the pancreas tries to overcome this resistance by secreting more and more insulin. People who suffer from insulin resistance develop type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is usually diagnosed during adulthood, often after the age of 45. It was formerly called adult-onset diabetes, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes. Currently they develop this type of diabetes even young adults.

Causes of diabetes

• The cause of type 1 diabetes is a disorder of the immune system, which usually fights viruses and infection, but when this device malfunctions, it attacks the insulin-producing cells of the pancreas and thus the pancreas stops producing insulin.
• Insulin resistance is one of the factors that lead to type 2 diabetes. When a person has insulin resistance, the body’s cells lose their sensitivity to insulin and become unable to take in glucose.
• Refined carbohydrates or sugar are among the causes of diabetes, when eating carbohydrates in the form of candy, they raise insulin or eat proteins to which you add sugars such as hot dog sandwiches or add ketchup to the burger, and if you continue to eat refined carbohydrates or sugar and increase their quantity in your body a lot, your body will treat These quantities are considered toxic.
• In order for the body to protect itself, it will start insulin resistance due to excess sugar, so insulin secretion will be more than necessary and it is considered toxic and this is known as insulin resistance. Thus, the pancreas increases insulin production. As this continues to happen, it puts pressure on the pancreas, until it strains it.
• Processed food, obesity, and lack of movement are still risk factors for type 2 diabetes.
• Another cause of diabetes is an excessive amount of iron in the body. The problem with iron is that it is difficult to get rid of it, and there is a genetic disease called hemochromatosis, which is caused by an excess of iron that the body cannot get rid of, which causes its accumulation. The danger of iron overload is that it is very oxidative and can be likened to an echo of cells, and when this happens it will be accompanied by severe inflammation, and with this inflammation the insulin resistance increases, and for this reason, hemochromatosis is closely related to diabetes as a side effect of it, as well as fatty liver and cirrhosis because iron It accumulates on the pancreas in the cells that produce insulin.

Thus, the greater the amount of iron, the more destructive the beta cells of the pancreas, which causes the big problem with insulin.

The risks of diabetes to the body

People with type 1 diabetes need daily insulin therapy to maintain life.

Sometimes people with T1D have life-threatening signs, called diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) that occur when the body’s insulin signal is too low. It is a problem that occurs when the liver begins to break down fats at a rapid rate with a fuel called ketones, which causes the blood to become acidic.

People with type 2 diabetes can develop DKA, but it is less common and less severe.

Dobson also noted that diabetes may be fatal in some people but chronic in others, further elucidating the differences between type 1 and type 2.

Risks for any type of diabetes

Damage to blood vessels and nerves, (nerve damage can lead to diabetic neuropathy), kidney disease, vision problems, including blindness, increased urine output, excessive thirst, yeast infection, tingling or numbness in the feet or toes, infections Recurring, nausea, vomiting, hunger, dehydration, weight loss or gain, fatigue, dry mouth, slow healing of wounds, ulcers, itchy skin, and increased exposure to infection.

One of the factors that help increase the risk of developing diabetes, They include weight gain, high blood pressure, and low blood sugar levels.

Are diabetes medications useful?

Those who benefit from the value of diabetes drugs are the ones who make diabetes, because they delude people that they need large amounts of carbohydrates, and they advise diabetics with carbohydrates and lots of fruits and of course treat diabetes. That way they keep selling insulin, metaformin, and other diabetes medications. When the treatment stage comes, there are drugs that increase or stimulate the cells to secrete more insulin, and there are other cases that help insulin receptors to receive it, such as metformin, for example, and there are other diabetes medicines that lead to excreting sugar in the urine to help the body get rid of it with this Way.

Treating diabetes will make you need more and more medication over time, because diabetes is a problem related to the body due to eating too many sugars. And the role of the drugs is to reduce the level of sugar in the blood only and not the percentage of sugar in the body.

This means that the sugar is still in the body, but it is not in the blood. Medicines what they do is take the sugar from the blood and store it in other places of the body in the form of fat, which makes the fat cells gradually enlarge to cover the liver and around other organs, such as the pancreas, and the kidneys. . Medicines will not eliminate the real problem, but on the contrary, it may have side effects, high cholesterol, poor eyesight, and therefore you will need more medicines to treat these side effects of diabetes medicines, and these medicines in turn have side effects, and therefore you will need other medicines to treat These symptoms and the effect will not end, and so on.

The occurrence of type 2 diabetes is related to food only, so taking medications will not address the matter because the problem is related to nutrition.

Control of type 1 and type 2 diabetes

The ideal diet: The second type is usually controlled by using a healthy diet, devoid of sugars, including fruits, simple carbohydrates and processed materials, exercising regularly, maintaining a healthy weight, and abstaining from nicotine. And because simple carbohydrates lead to a rapid increase in the level of sugar in the blood instead, what should we do: –

• Eat vegetables in large quantities because they contain dietary fiber and potassium, these components work to protect against complications of diabetes on the heart and arteries, and the fibers in vegetables work to reduce harmful cholesterol in the blood.
• Eating fish because it contains omega-3, this acid saves the heart, arteries and retina of the eye from complications of diabetes, and it contains the protein that the body needs for structural repair.
• It is necessary to increase the amount of fat in order to take energy from it as an alternative to glucose, thus relieving pressure on the pancreas, but natural fats such as olive oil have many benefits for health in general and preserving the heart and arteries from diabetes complications, natural fats will not increase insulin.
• Whole starches, because they contain fiber and the mineral chromium, which is found in wheat bran, brown rice and oats.
• Eat almonds, walnuts, flaxseeds, cucurbits seeds, carob, coriander seeds, olive leaves, flaxseeds, fenugreek, sesame and green leaves such as chard and mallow because they contain phytoestrogen, vitamins and folic acid.
• Since excess iron in the body is among the causes of diabetes, so we do not consume iron-fortified foods, we withdraw excess iron from the body, donating blood contributes to the elimination of excess iron, avoiding dietary supplements that contain iron.
• Cinnamon helps eliminate diabetes, because it reduces insulin resistance and reduces blood sugar levels. It has a high ability to increase the effectiveness of insulin, and this means that cells reduce their insulin resistance. In other words, cinnamon can treat the matter effectively if a person is about to develop diabetes or have a problem of insulin resistance.
• Cinnamon is one of the spices capable of absorbing radical oxygen, meaning it is one of the most effective antioxidants.

Note (You should not use cinnamon in cases of liver and kidney damage), because in      this case it becomes dangerous.

• A woman with diabetes should refrain from using the contraceptive pill, because thus she will not be able to control the blood sugar level even if she always uses insulin injections.
• Among the plants used in Ayurveda to treat type 2 diabetes is bitter melon (M. charantia), for example, studies have shown that bitter melon reduces urination, which partially prevents enlargement of the kidneys, while reducing the excretion of albumin in the urine.
• Type 1 diabetes can be treated with Nicotinamide, the generic name for vitamin B3, because this nutrient protects pancreatic cells. A diabetic patient should take between 1000 to 2000 milligrams, but it is recommended to take all B vitamins and that is why we recommend taking nutritional yeast and vitamin B together.

Diabetes prevention

• The ideal diet that contains no high carbohydrates, no sugars or processed food.
• Avoid stress and exercise regularly.
• Control the level of iron in the body.
• Islamic fasting is similar to TRF (intermittent fasting). The period of Islamic fasting ranges between 12-18 hours on average depending on the season and geographic region. Fasting is the entire month of Ramadan, six days of Shawwal, and the white days, Mondays and Thursdays. While adhering to the etiquette of eating at breakfast, that is, you should not eat sugars, refined carbohydrates and fried foods, and be satisfied, for example, with soups, vegetables, and a few dates. It is possible to drink liquids until the time of suhoor, with a good sleep at night in order to achieve the highest benefit of fasting. You should not neglect the pre-dawn meal. When fasting is achieved in the right way, it will achieve many benefits, including a decrease in insulin resistance, diabetes, etc.

Fasting controls blood glucose levels throughout the month of fasting, as it helps in          breaking down glucose and producing energy in the body, and this reduces insulin          production, relaxes the pancreas and increases glycogen production to facilitate the       process of glucose breakdown, rid the body of excess fat, reduce cholesterol levels in     the body, reduce acid level Uric.

(Advice for type 2 diabetes is valid for type 1 diabetes).

 conclusion

To protect ourselves to prevent ourselves from diabetes or any other disease, we must follow a healthy diet, get rid of life pressures, exercise and meditate and rest the soul by reading the Qur’an, as well as good sleep and reconcile with ourselves.