Within the framework of World Diabetes Day, which was celebrated on November 14, the College of Nutritionists of Buenos Aires reports on the actions taken to promote health from a comprehensive approach to both the prevention and care and treatment of this disease. Gave.
According to the latest national survey of risk factors, in Argentina, 13 out of every 100 people over 18 years of age have diabetic myelitis, and given that for many years the disease is asymptomatic, half of diabetics are unaware of their condition. , reported last May the Argentine Diabetes Federation.
Diabetes is a disease characterized by high blood sugar levels, hyperglycemia, which can cause complications in various organs if it persists over time. This is a long-term disease, that is, it accompanies the person suffering from it throughout his life.
With adequate monitoring and treatment, complications can be prevented and normal lives can be lived; However, poorly controlled diabetes is a significant cause of blindness, kidney failure, myocardial infarction, stroke and lower limb amputation.
There are two categories of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. There is also gestational diabetes, which has the peculiarity of beginning and ending with pregnancy. Type 2 is the most common form of diabetes as it affects 85% to 90% of diabetics, occurring most frequently between the ages of 30 and 40, although it is increasingly being seen in younger people. Although insulin is produced, it is insufficient and its action is reduced.
“This type of diabetes is associated with overweight and obesity, and this condition itself creates resistance to the action of insulin,” said Maria Eugenia Rimoldi, a graduate student in nutrition (MP 2619) enrolled in the province’s College of Nutritionists. . From Buenos Aires. It is also linked to inadequate nutrition and lack of physical activity, as well as a family history of the disease.
In type 2 diabetes, hyperglycemia develops very slowly, not being severe enough at the beginning of the disease for the patient to notice the classic symptoms. Because of this, approximately half of patients are unaware of their condition.
Faced with a diagnosis of diabetes, Rimoldi highlights four pillars of treatment: “Diabetes education to provide knowledge about the disease and strategies for daily care; A healthy lifestyle composed of adequate meal planning prioritizing dietary fiber and hydration with aerobic physical activity, absence of tobacco and minimal alcohol consumption; Pharmacological treatment through oral medication and/or insulin injections; And attitudes toward and attention to their risk factors and related diseases: high blood pressure, overweight or obesity, high cholesterol.
In this sense, the nutritionist pointed out that type 2 diabetes “can be largely prevented when we adopt a healthy lifestyle through a varied and balanced diet, adequate hydration, physical activity and the absence of tobacco.”
Within the framework of the “Provincial Diabetes Week”, the Buenos Aires College of Nutritionists seeks to promote health from a comprehensive approach to both prevention and care and treatment of non-communicable diseases, thereby ensuring a better quality of well-being. , Of life.