The best ways to greatly reduce the risk of diabetes (but only if you are a man)

According to the Diabetes Foundation, 13.8% of Spanish people over 18 years (equivalent to more than 5.3 million) suffers type 2 diabetes and of them 43% were unaware that they suffered from the disease. The work, published by '[email protected]', also studies the differences in the number of people affected by age and sex. Between 61 and 75, 29.8% of women and 42.4% of men have the condition, percentages that amount to 41.3% of them and 37.4% of men over 75 years.

It is very important to highlight the large proportion of people who don't know they suffer from it. The delay in its discovery implies that when it is diagnosed, 50% present some complication. This is serious if we consider that the treatment of complications is more effective the earlier and that diabetes affects organs as important as the kidneys, eyesight, heart or nervous system.

Every year they are diagnosed in the world 22 million new cases of diabetes, an overwhelming figure that reveals the latest Global Burden of Disease study and shows the magnitude of this disease. The authors of this work, published in 'Diabetologia', the journal of the European Society for the Study of Diabetes, indicate what we already have at this point: good diet, exercise and keeping tobacco and alcohol away.

What should you do

Research reveals that perform simple activities How walking briskly or gardening for 30 minutes a day increases the levels of a hormone that reduces appetite and sugar. However, the results they were only apparent in men, which according to the team could be due to physiological differences between both sexes, or to the fact that they generally tend to decrease physical activity levels at certain ages.

The American Diabetes Society believes that we should look at the quality of the fats we consume, rather than the total amount

The authors of the analysis, conducted at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, say their findings imply that even relatively short episodes of daily physical activity of low intensity They can help prevent metabolic diseases, at least in men. To see if this theory worked, the team brought together more than 1,300 people of both sexes who were overweight and studied his heart rates daily.

The levels of the GLP-1 hormone (which inhibits appetite and stimulates insulin production while helping to reduce blood sugar) were measured before and after participants drank glucose to determine how much physical activity affected their secretion, the equivalent of a prediabetic having a peak of sugar. What was the results? 30 minutes of mild or moderate sport increased production in men.

Great care

But type 2 diabetes is no longer just an older thing: is currently increasing among teenagers and younger adults. The analysis had a second part related to management patterns and the consequences of the disease. Compared to diabetics who led a worse lifestyle, those who had it optimally showed a 56% lower risk of all-cause mortality, 49% lower for cardiovascular disease and 31% lower for cancer. In addition, they also had a 52% lower risk of developing heart disease.

The American Diabetes Society gives some more precise recommendations on how to prevent this disease. Regarding food, consider that we should look at the quality of the fats we consume, rather than the total amount we take of this macronutrient. This is, yes to olive oil and nuts, and also in favor of a diet rich in vegetables, as proposed by the Mediterranean diet. I want an influential reader, everything is in your hand.