Type 2 diabetes is also known as type 2 diabetes. The disease has many serious complications of the nerves, blood vessels, eyes or kidneys. However, the disease can also be effectively prevented by changing lifestyle.

1. Learn about type 2 diabetes

Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a disorder of glucose metabolism due to a deficiency or disorder of the hormone insulin metabolism. Unmetabolized glucose accumulates in the blood for a long time, causing many health effects such as: causing disorders in lipid, protein, carbohydrate metabolism, causing damage to the heart and blood vessels, nerves, eyes, kidneys, etc.

Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90% of diabetes cases.

Diabetes is divided into two groups: type 1 diabetes (due to lack of insulin production) and type 2 diabetes (due to improper use of insulin). It can be understood that type 2 diabetes is caused by insulin resistance, meaning that the body does not use insulin properly, causing high blood sugar. Therefore, the pancreas needs to secrete more insulin to compensate for the deficiency, maintaining normal blood sugar levels.

However, over time, the pancreas is overworked, and does not secrete enough insulin to meet the body’s needs, causing high blood sugar and causing disease.

2. What complications can type 2 diabetes cause?

Up to 90% of diabetic patients belong to this group of diseases. Prolonged high blood glucose causes many other metabolic disorders, causing damage to many organs.

Type 2 diabetes can cause dangerous cardiovascular complications

Specifically, complications include acute complications and chronic complications.

2.1. Acute complications

Acute complications can occur in some cases such as:

Hypoglycemia: Patients who diet too much or take too much hypoglycemic medication can lead to this complication.

Signs of recognition are that the patient’s speech and gestures are slow. The body always feels tired and sleepy. There may also be tremors, restlessness, sweating, etc.

Hyperglycemia

The patient will feel thirsty, urinate frequently, have muscle weakness, cramps, etc. If not treated promptly, it can lead to coma.

2.2. Chronic complications

Cardiovascular complications

This is the most dangerous complication of type 2 diabetes, which can be fatal if not detected and intervened early. Prolonged hyperglycemia causes many coronary artery diseases, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, leading to cardiovascular complications such as myocardial infarction, stroke, etc.

Neurological complications

High blood glucose damages nerves throughout the body, but the most affected areas are the peripheral nerves and limbs, especially the feet. Peripheral nerve damage in diabetic patients causes pain, itching, loss of sensation, infection, and severe trauma to the feet.

Many type 2 diabetic patients have to amputate limbs when severe infections occur to avoid spreading to other organs.

Renal complications

Small blood vessels in the kidneys are also damaged when glucose is chronically high, affecting the activity and function of the kidneys. Especially in people with previous kidney disease, the risk of kidney failure is very high. To reduce the risk of disease and complications, maintaining stable blood pressure and blood glucose is very important.

Eye complications

Most patients with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are susceptible to developing eye diseases that cause blindness or vision loss. Therefore, if the patient notices signs of blurred vision or rapid fatigue, early examination and intervention is needed. Keeping blood pressure and blood glucose levels stable is the best way to prevent this complication.

Pregnant women with type 2 diabetes are very dangerous for mother and baby

Pregnancy complications

Pregnant women with diabetes can have many effects on the safety and development of the fetus. Possible risks include: Overweight fetus, children exposed to high blood glucose, susceptible to diabetes, sudden hypoglycemia after birth, birth complications, trauma, etc.

Thus, type 2 diabetes complications are very dangerous, progress rapidly and can cause death at any time. Therefore, regularly monitoring, checking and maintaining stable blood sugar and blood pressure levels is the best way to prevent them.

3. Main causes of type 2 diabetes

The direct cause of the disease is due to impaired insulin hormone function. There are many risk factors that increase the likelihood of getting the disease, specifically in the following groups of people:

– Family history of diabetes.

– Having had gestational diabetes

– Unhealthy diet and lifestyle.

– Lack of physical activity.

– Old age.

– High blood pressure.

– Overweight, obesity.

– Lipid disorders.

– Impaired glucose tolerance: Blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not yet diabetes.

4. What to do to prevent type 2 diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes causes many consequences for the health and life of the patient, and medicine has not yet found a way to completely treat the disease. Therefore, disease prevention is considered the most important factor. Unlike type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes can be completely prevented through a healthy lifestyle, diet and exercise.

A healthy diet helps prevent type 2 diabetes effectively

4.1. Diet

A healthy, nutritious diet recommended by the International Diabetes Federation helps people prevent the disease effectively. Specifically:

– Eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits: Eat at least 3 servings of vegetables and up to 3 servings of fresh fruit per day.

– Prioritize drinking water, tea or coffee instead of soft drinks, sugary fruit juices or other sugary drinks.

– Limit alcoholic beverages.

– Limit sweet foods, high in glucose such as: chocolate, jam, white bread, rice, pasta, etc.

– Prioritize eating lean white meat, poultry or seafood, limit red meat and processed meats.

– Use unsaturated fats such as: sunflower oil, olive oil, corn oil, canola oil instead of saturated fats such as butter, palm oil, coconut oil, animal fat, etc.

4.2. Exercise regimen

Walking: Experts recommend that each person should walk a total of 150 minutes per week (average 30 minutes per day), regularly every day of the week, not stopping for more than 2 consecutive days.

Walking every day also helps prevent diabetes effectively.

Resistance training: by exercises such as weight lifting 2-3 times per week, 60 minutes each time for young people and split the exercises for the elderly and people with bone and joint diseases.

In addition, it is important to note that you should not exercise strenuously when your blood glucose is low and you should regularly check for complications of the eyes, nerves, heart, legs, etc. before exercising.