How Serious Is Type 2 Diabetes? Impact, Recovery, and Perfect Food Recipes

What happens when your body becomes resistant to insulin? Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 will only include your immune system attacking the pancreas, so it makes little or no insulin, but in type 2, the body still produces insulin, only the cells do not respond to it properly.
Impact of Type 2 Diabetes
Researchers in Hong Kong analyzed hospital records of over 1.5 million people, half with type 2 diabetes and half without, matched by age, gender, and admission year, and followed them for nearly 8 years.
They found that people with type 2 diabetes spent more time in the hospital overall. Those diagnosed at older ages were more often hospitalized for circulatory and respiratory problems.
In contrast, for people diagnosed before age 40, mental health disorders accounted for 38.4% of all hospital bed days, with women affected more than men. Common mental health reasons for hospitalization included schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression.
“The substantial burden of hospital bed-days caused by mental health disorders in young people with type 2 diabetes calls for healthcare systems to allocate adequate resources and develop targeted strategies to meet their mental health needs," the paper states.
Other reports have also suggested that the relationship between diabetes and mental health is bidirectional. This means diabetes increases the risk of mental illness, and mental illness raises the risk of developing diabetes.
Another report has also claimed that people with diabetes are 2-3 times more likely to experience depression, and about 40% experience anxiety. So, how to recover from it?
How to Recover from Type 2 Diabetes
Metformin is generally the preferred initial medication trusted Source for treating type 2 diabetes. It's effective, safe, inexpensive, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular events. But the medications are not limited to that. One can also use these, but please ensure the guidance of a physician.
- Sulfonylurea: It includes medications like glipizide, glyburide, and glimepiride, but while it's inexpensive, it also has the risk of causing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and weight gain.
- Insulin sensitizer: Pioglitazone is an example of one, but while this one does not cause hypoglycemia, it can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and weight gain.
- Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists: Exenatide (Byetta, Bydureon), liraglutide (Victoza, Saxenda), and dulaglutide (Trulicity)are some examples of these agonists. They are injected weekly or daily. Orally, one can take Rybelsus, which may benefit the heart and help with weight loss. But it may also cause side effects, such as nausea and diarrhea.
- Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4 inhibitors): sitagliptin (Januvia), saxagliptin (Onglyza), and linagliptin (Tradjenta) are some brand names for these inhibitors. They reduce post-meal blood sugar levels.
- Alpha-glucosidase inhibitor: This one is rarely used because it reduces carbohydrate absorption, but gastrointestinal side effects are common.
- Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2 inhibitors): The newest class in Diabetes medications. They lower blood glucose levels by removing glucose from the body through urine. Researchers have also said that it gives cardiovascular and kidney benefits as well. Empagliflozin (Jardiance), dapagliflozin (Farxiga), canagliflozin (Invokana), and ertugliflozin (Steglatro) are some names.
But if you don't want to only depend on medicines, there are some healthy recipes for you as well.
Perfect Food Recipes for Type 2 Diabetes patients-
Here are some recipes by Inez Briand that you can try to make your eating healthy.
1 - Veggie Omelette: A perfect breakfast
Ingredients: 2 eggs, a handful of spinach, chopped bell peppers, sliced mushrooms, a sprinkle of chees,e and salt and pepper to taste
Recipe- Start by whisking the eggs and pouring them into a heated, non-stick skillet. After that, add the veggies and cheese. and cook until the eggs are set. Season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!
2- Cauliflower Fried Rice: A vegetarian delight
Ingredients: 1 head of cauliflower, grated, 1 cup mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, corn), 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.
Recipe- Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté garlic and ginger briefly, add mixed vegetables, and cook until slightly tender. Stir in grated cauliflower and cook for 5 minutes. Add soy sauce, mix well, cook for 2 more minutes, garnish with spring onions, and serve hot.
Let us know if you try any of these!
Written by

Reyansh Dubey
Edited by

Joyita Das
