If one delves into medical books and guidebooks and reads under the keyword diabetes mellitus what was known about this disease about forty years ago, one learns that a diabetes sufferer did not have good prospects of recovery at that time.
Insulin against diabetes
Infographic on the anatomy and cause of diabetes mellitus type 2. Click image to enlarge. For him, there was only the commandment to strictly avoid all carbohydrates and replace them in the diet with fat. At that time, it was believed that energies could be obtained mainly from fat, since one gram of fat donates about 9 calories. The success of this diet was usually devastating in severe cases of illness. After periods of severe starvation, the sick noticed that their body reserves were dwindling despite increased fat intake, so that they had to surrender powerlessly to their fate and even medical help failed. This changed abruptly when the Canadian researchers Banting and Best found the active substance of the pancreas, insulin, in 1922 and were able to isolate it in such a way that it could be used for diabetes patients. A new, great hope enriched the lives of diabetics at that time, which, before learning how to use insulin, was almost no life at all. To understand the importance of insulin for the body, it is necessary to know that all food substances that are broken down into sugar in the human digestive tract are subject to a metabolism that produces combustible energies that provide the necessary fuel for the body. Without these available energies, we would not be able to perform any purposeful work and would soon feel listless and tired, even ill. In order to utilize the glucose that is in our blood, a hormone of the pancreas – insulin – is necessary. The action of insulin not only converts blood sugar into energy, but also creates a store of reserve substances in the form of starch from the excess glucose in the liver. These processes are imperfect in insulin deficiency, depending on the degree of the disease, so any excess of ingested sugar will worsen this disease situation.
Treatment
Through the research results of Banting and Best, it became possible to apply insulin by injection in such a way that the body is artificially assisted in its metabolism. However, a prerequisite for successful treatment is regular injections. In the course of time, diabetes patients learned to handle the injection syringe themselves in the same way as doctors and nurses could. In this way, they not only relieved the medical staff, but also gained their own independence. Travel became possible again, and diabetics were able to resume their professional and family obligations. In the meantime, an old dream of diabetics has come true. A large proportion of them can do without injections and make do with tablets. However, only the doctor decides which treatment method is appropriate. Unfortunately, tablet therapy, one of the most important treatment options for diabetics at present, cannot be applied to all patients, probably especially not to adolescents. Therefore, insulin injection is still considered the best treatment method to this day.
Sugar as a cause
These processes are imperfect in insulin deficiency, depending on the degree of the disease, so any excess of ingested sugar will make this disease situation worse. Some readers may wonder how diabetes is actually detected. The answer is simple: the glucose that is not utilized by the body is excreted through the urine. In this way, diabetes can be diagnosed very easily and accurately. In the past, especially in the Middle Ages, when chemical methods of examination were not yet possible, doctors – please don’t be alarmed, it was really like that – had to taste the urine. The question often arises as to whether it is not people who eat a lot of sugar who fall ill with sugar or diabetes. This question is not entirely unjustified, and many doctors are inclined to talk about diabetes as a gluttonous disease. The reason for this is probably that diabetes is mainly prevalent among rather fat, food-loving people who have already passed the age of fifty. Unfortunately, however, there are also many young, slim people, and even children, who are afflicted with this disease.In principle, it must be said that the healthy organism does not harm the moderate sugar intake, but if a person suffers from insulin deficiency as a result of a disease of the pancreas, especially pure sugar, whether in the form of beet sugar or glucose, must be completely avoided.
Healthy diet and nutrition
In addition to drug treatment, the diet of diabetes patients has great significance, it can even be said that it is not even possible to treat diabetes disease without diet. The most important thing is that the patient follows the prescribed and tested diet in a disciplined way, and that his daily food is carefully controlled and documented in a diet plan, because a number of foods can be eaten only in certain quantities. The diabetic’s diet – apart from the ban on sugar – is basically no different from a wholesome diet for healthy people. It must contain as much fresh fruit and vegetables as possible. Carbohydrates, fats and protein also play an important role. The consumption of carbohydrates must depend on the degree to which they can be broken down. Bread, potatoes and flour should be eaten only in the allowed quantities, as they are biologically closely related to sugar. The less the organism has to struggle to convert a starch product into glucose, the more harmful it is for the sick person. White bread, for example, is converted into glucose in a much shorter time than brown bread and wholemeal bread. It is therefore generally not recommended for the diabetic, as it would raise the blood sugar level very quickly. In addition, whole-grain bread is more beneficial to the diet because of its vitamin and mineral content. Only in special cases of disease, such as additional intestinal disease, the doctor will recommend white bread. Carbohydrate restriction is balanced by sufficient protein intake. However, since protein not only has a so-called carbohydrate-saving effect, but also plays a major role in the storage of starch in the liver cells, it occupies an important place in the diet of diabetics. The source of calories for our body is fat. Today we know that it can be fully evaluated by the human organism only by the presence of carbohydrates, protein and sugar. This fact was completely unrecognized forty years ago. However, because of its high caloric content, fat patients should not consume more than 30 to 50 grams per day.
