In the last few months I have read some reports and articles in the press on the subject of diabetes – “The number of diabetes patients continues to rise” (Deutschlandfunk, 2024)“World Diabetes Day – A disease with increasing prevalence” (NDR, 2023). Demand for diabetes medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy was also high last year Headlines made.
Now the question is, why is this topic still so present and why do the statistical numbers continue to rise unabated?
Many illnesses in today’s society develop due to incorrect energy metabolism. There can be several reasons why this happens. However, it often turns out that our lifestyle has a central influence on our energy balance.
Why is insulin resistance the starting point in the development of diabetes? What can you do preventatively?
As of 2022, around eleven million people lived with diabetes in Germany, including 8.7 million people with diagnosed type 2 diabetes and 372,000 people with type 1 diabetes. At this point in time, another two million people were still considered unreported (DGG, 2022). If we take a closer look at the numbers, it is clear that the proportion of type 2 diabetes patients is strikingly higher. This form of diabetes was described as “adult-onset diabetes” a few decades ago. However, the figures from the German Health Report Diabetes 2023 also clearly show that children and young people are also affected by this.
What is the difference between type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes?
Type 1 diabetes is characterized as an autoimmune disease. This usually occurs in childhood/adolescence, but can also develop over the course of life. Genetic factors seem to have a major influence here, but also environmental and lifestyle factors. Type 1 diabetes is translated as “honey-sweet flow” because when the disease occurs, the blood sugar level is so high that it has to be drained through the kidneys and urine. The cause of the high blood sugar concentration is an absolute insulin deficiency, triggered by the body’s own autoantibodies. These cause the destruction of the beta cells in the pancreas, which are responsible for insulin production. As a diabetes patient, the only thing that helps is injecting insulin. Recent studies have already shown that muscle strength training in particular can have beneficial effects on blood sugar levels (Tonoli et al., 2012; Magkos et al., 2020).
Type 2 diabetes is not an autoimmune disease. It usually occurs in conjunction with other metabolic or cardiovascular diseases (metabolic syndrome).
In type 2 diabetes, there is first a sustained increase in insulin secretion, followed by a weakening pancreas and correspondingly reduced insulin secretion. Insulin resistance must first manifest itself. However, this condition is reversible (Torjesen et al.,1997).
There is a large time span from the first symptoms of insulin resistance to type 2 diabetes. In order to break this cascade early, it is worth promoting preventive measures in everyday life. These do not have to be anything but highly complex or extremely time-consuming. Most of the time, even the smallest change makes the biggest difference. The rule also applies here: every person is different and responds differently to the interventions. Therefore, a continuous and individually tailored change process is ultimately effective.
How does insulin resistance arise and why can it lead to diabetes?
One of the main causes of type 2 diabetes is physical obesity. Our lifestyle clearly plays a central role here. Due to the constant availability of food and the significantly reduced daily movement, we are hardly exposed to physical “emergency situations” anymore. The body actually uses mechanisms to respond to these stimuli. If he no longer needs it, he forgets it – according to the motto: “use it or lose it”.
The main protagonists in our energy metabolism are the pancreas, the liver and the fatty tissue – controlled by, among other things, the brain. The hormone insulin, which the pancreas produces, ensures a stable blood sugar level – in other words: the sugar has to get into the cell so that the energy absorbed can be used at all. Insulin is the “door opener” here. If this system does not function optimally or the pancreas is overwhelmed in its tasks, blood sugar can no longer be regulated as well. This happens when too much insulin hits the cells too often – in other words: when we eat too many meals and don’t give the body a break. This is the beginning of insulin resistance.
The liver also suffers here. It is allowed to store the excess energy in the blood in fatty tissue. If she doesn’t calm down either because she eats too many meals, it becomes a one-way street. Constant excess of energy leads to constant storage and body fat grows and grows. Over time, the signal “We have absorbed enough energy through the meal” no longer reaches the brain. If the signal of satiety no longer works, due to the hormone leptin, among other things, a vicious circle arises: We eat more often and still no longer feel full. Now we’re excited by just the thought of what sugar-rich “reserves” we could still find in the kitchen cupboard, even though lunch was only an hour ago. The result of insulin resistance is: a weakening pancreas and a permanently rising blood sugar level. An unchangeable situation? No way! In most cases it is in our own hands to change something and make a fresh start.
Is insulin resistance fundamentally bad?
Insulin resistance is a mechanism in our body that occurs in certain situations. For example, during pregnancy, a constant supply of energy for the mother and the growing child is essential. Our liver ensures this by temporarily becoming insulin resistant and can continue to produce energy parallel to food intake. This mechanism also occurs during an infection, while the immune system requires a lot of energy. This means that acute insulin resistance sometimes makes sense physiologically. Only if the condition persists and becomes chronic can insulin resistance lead to further illnesses. The liver, for example, has significantly more (over 450) tasks, in addition to releasing and storing energy. If the liver is left with a lot of energy storage due to constant eating, it can no longer fulfill its other tasks such as detoxification. Possible consequences: fatigue/lack of energy, impure skin, inflammatory processes or increased blood lipid levels.
How can I recognize insulin resistance and what are the typical symptoms?
– Are you tired after lunch / do you fall into a kind of energy hole?
– Do you snack more often throughout the day?
– Do you have very loose stools or digestive problems?
– Do you crave high-calorie/sugary foods?
What can I do preventatively and implement in everyday life?
– Take longer meal breaks
– More frequent, intensive exercise breaks (sitting breaks)
– A lower meal frequency (every snack is also a meal)
Did you recognize yourself with some of the symptoms? Have you already been diagnosed with insulin resistance or diabetes? Are you lacking concrete support?
Then please contact me – I would be happy if I can support you.
