each one of us sometimes or the other have heard people saying don’t eat too much sugar or you will get diabetes, but what is the truth behind this common phrase lets uncover it today with me.
first of all let us understand what is diabetes in simple terms we could say that it is the state of hyperglycemia i.e. increase in blood sugar levels beyond the normal limit which is given in the image on the side. so does eating sugar alone lead to increase in blood sugar, definitely not all the complex carb that we consume through our diet is converted into simpler carb in our digestive system which could be glucose, fructose and other disaccharide but for simpler understanding i would say that all the carb that you consume through your diet is absorbed in our body as glucose.
list of food items that contain high carb are –
- white rice
- pasta
- bread
- potato
- fast food
- chocolates
- cakes
- ice creams
- banana
- mango
when these carbs are absorbed into our body as glucose this lead to increase in blood sugar levels, now our body is made up of cells and these cells could absorb glucose only in the presence of insulin. insulin is the wonderful hormone secreted by pancreas in our body. this the common physiology, now lets understand what happens in a case of diabetes.
there are two types of diabetes-
type 1 diabetes – this is the autoimmune disorder which lead to insulin deficiency in our body. this is commonly seen in the age group less than 20. the only solution for this diabetes is insulin injections. type 1 diabetes has very little to do with our article.
type 2 diabetes- this is diabetes due to insulin resistance in our body when the insulin is normally secreted by the beta cells of our pancreas but cells of our body has became resistant to the high level of insulin, therefore they couldn’t absorb glucose even in the presence of insulin. this is common in people of all age groups above 20 and usually develop in people who are obese, this type 2 diabetes is directly related to our article.
whenever we talk about diabetes in general terms we refer to type 2 diabetes, because this is the diabetes which do not develop suddenly, it is commonly said if you develop diabetes today the process of development of insulin resistance would have started a long back ago. so to prevent this diabetes we should focus on the factors which lead to development of insulin resistance in our body.
factors causing insulin resistance;
- genetics – family history of type 2 diabetes increases risk
- obesity – central obesity is strongly linked with insulin resistance
- physical inactivity- decrease glucose uptake by muscles.
- sleep deprivation – poor sleep quality increases the risk by impairing glucose metabolism
- smoking – linked with increase abdominal fat and inflammation
- excessive alcohol intake – may impair insulin signaling and liver funtion.
except for the genetic cause, these are the common factors which may lead to the state of insulin resistance in your body over years and ultimately lead to diabetes. by having a control over this factors by taking a balanced diet regularly , regular exercise, quit smoking and alcohol, and proper sleep could help us to prevent diabetes to a great extent.
so now comes the moment of truth, does eating sugar causes diabetes …………..well directly its NO , but indirectly its a big YES because eating excess sugar on daily basis could lead to the development of insulin resistance in your body……..which could lead to diabetes, as eating excess sugar is directly linked to weight gain , obesity which contribute to be the major risk factor for a state of insulin resistance and ultimately its diabetes.
hopefully , i could clear your doubts through this article ………….by Yashika .