Type 2 diabetes: is it the sugar that makes us sick? How much is okay?
As early as 1972, a respected nutritionist, Professor John Yudkin, warned that too much sugar was much more dangerous than fat. In his remarks he even goes so far as to call sugar a poison. For diabetics, sugar is literally “poison” and, in the worst case, can be fatal to those affected.
Sugar is omnipresent in our food
What many do not know: Food manufacturers even mix sugar in foods that taste piquant, spicy and sour, because sugar is not only cheap, but also gives our food a popular taste and stimulates the reward center in the brain - like a drug. Sugar traps lurk in almost all foods without the consumer being aware of them. Because sugar has many names and comes in many different forms: lactose in milk, fructose in fruit, barley malt in beer, starch in bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. All in all, the different forms of sugar are called “carbohydrates”.
Sugar has to be transported to the cells of the body to generate energy
All carbohydrates are split into the smallest common building block in the body, “glucose”, also called grape or simple sugar. However, the conversion of glucose into energy ultimately has to take place in our body cells, e.g. in brain or muscle cells. Once in the blood after digestion, the glucose reaches the individual cells, where it cannot get into the cell by itself - the body's hormone “insulin” is needed to open the gates. Insulin is normally produced in the beta cells of the pancreas and is released whenever the glucose concentration in the blood rises above the normal level, i.e. always after eating.
Excess sugar is converted to fat
Glucose is the number 1 source of energy for our body. We need energy for all our bodily functions and therefore constantly. The problem is that nowadays we consume more sugar than we actually need in energy. We spend most of the day in front of the computer, on the couch or at school. If the recommended daily requirement of 60-90g of sugar is exceeded and there is insufficient exercise, the body cannot do anything with the excess energy and ultimately converts it into fat reserves.
Hormones released by the adipose tissue reduce the transport of sugar into the cells
Adipose tissue, especially abdominal fat, produces hormones such as leptin, resistin, free fatty acids and inflammatory markers such as TNFα, IL-6. These hormones cause the effect of insulin, as a “door opener” to the body cells, to steadily decrease. However, if insulin has only a limited effect, the glucose floating in the blood can no longer be transported into the cells. As a result, the sugar level in the blood remains permanently high, but nothing arrives in the cells for energy production. If elevated blood sugar levels are measured, one speaks of a rising insulin resistance. If this goes unnoticed, the clinical picture worsens further.
Type 2 diabetes as a result of the negative spiral
The path of sugar into the cells is more or less blocked, but our body is still dependent on energy. For this reason, a “sugar deficiency” is reported. To meet the body's energy needs, the liver releases its own glucose reserves, which causes the blood sugar level to skyrocket. The body then reacts with an even higher release of insulin, which in the short term brings sugar back into the cells. But even if the beta cells in the pancreas continue to produce insulin, the body cells will no longer react to it in the end. The point at which the body itself is no longer able to transport the sugar into the cells is known as type 2 diabetes.
Now the most important question arises: Can I do something not to get diabetes? The answer is yes. There are also ways to fight the disease for those who already have insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) or a pronounced type 2 diabetes. A helpful measure is: exercise for type 2 diabetes.
As early as 1972, a respected nutritionist, Professor John Yudkin, warned that too much sugar was much more dangerous than fat. In his remarks he even goes so far as to call sugar a poison. For diabetics, sugar is literally “poison” and, in the worst case, can be fatal to those affected.
Sugar is omnipresent in our food
What many do not know: Food manufacturers even mix sugar in foods that taste piquant, spicy and sour, because sugar is not only cheap, but also gives our food a popular taste and stimulates the reward center in the brain - like a drug. Sugar traps lurk in almost all foods without the consumer being aware of them. Because sugar has many names and comes in many different forms: lactose in milk, fructose in fruit, barley malt in beer, starch in bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. All in all, the different forms of sugar are called “carbohydrates”.
Sugar has to be transported to the cells of the body to generate energy
All carbohydrates are split into the smallest common building block in the body, “glucose”, also called grape or simple sugar. However, the conversion of glucose into energy ultimately has to take place in our body cells, e.g. in brain or muscle cells. Once in the blood after digestion, the glucose reaches the individual cells, where it cannot get into the cell by itself - the body's hormone “insulin” is needed to open the gates. Insulin is normally produced in the beta cells of the pancreas and is released whenever the glucose concentration in the blood rises above the normal level, i.e. always after eating.
Excess sugar is converted to fat
Glucose is the number 1 source of energy for our body. We need energy for all our bodily functions and therefore constantly. The problem is that nowadays we consume more sugar than we actually need in energy. We spend most of the day in front of the computer, on the couch or at school. If the recommended daily requirement of 60-90g of sugar is exceeded and there is insufficient exercise, the body cannot do anything with the excess energy and ultimately converts it into fat reserves.
Hormones released by the adipose tissue reduce the transport of sugar into the cells
Adipose tissue, especially abdominal fat, produces hormones such as leptin, resistin, free fatty acids and inflammatory markers such as TNFα, IL-6. These hormones cause the effect of insulin, as a “door opener” to the body cells, to steadily decrease. However, if insulin has only a limited effect, the glucose floating in the blood can no longer be transported into the cells. As a result, the sugar level in the blood remains permanently high, but nothing arrives in the cells for energy production. If elevated blood sugar levels are measured, one speaks of a rising insulin resistance. If this goes unnoticed, the clinical picture worsens further.
Type 2 diabetes as a result of the negative spiral
The path of sugar into the cells is more or less blocked, but our body is still dependent on energy. For this reason, a “sugar deficiency” is reported. To meet the body's energy needs, the liver releases its own glucose reserves, which causes the blood sugar level to skyrocket. The body then reacts with an even higher release of insulin, which in the short term brings sugar back into the cells. But even if the beta cells in the pancreas continue to produce insulin, the body cells will no longer react to it in the end. The point at which the body itself is no longer able to transport the sugar into the cells is known as type 2 diabetes.
Now the most important question arises: Can I do something not to get diabetes? The answer is yes. There are also ways to fight the disease for those who already have insulin resistance (pre-diabetes) or a pronounced type 2 diabetes. A helpful measure is: exercise for type 2 diabetes.
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