The right diet helps against diabetes – curative practice

The right diet against diabetes

The number of people with diabetes has been on the rise for years. After diagnosis, people often receive prompt medical attention. But in many cases the so-called “diabetes” can also be kept under control through a healthy lifestyle. Proper nutrition plays a special role here.

As the German Diabetes Society (DDG) reports in a recent press release, a change in lifestyle with a change in diet and more exercise can prevent type 2 diabetes or even suppress it. But when it comes to nutrition, many of the seven million people with diabetes in Germany are unsure: What nutritional measures are really recommended?

Lifestyle change

According to the DDG, the risk of type 2 diabetes increases by approximately 20% for every BMI greater than 1 kg / m². “Constant lifestyle change with the aim of reducing body weight is therefore essential for overweight people,” explains Professor Dr. med. Diana Rubin, chief physician and head of the Center for Nutritional Medicine at Vivantes Klinikum Spandau and Humboldt Klinikum Berlin. According to the doctor, this is the only way to prevent diabetes or treat it effectively.

“Unfortunately, surprisingly few patients manage to change their lifestyle,” says the nutritionist. Long-term data shows that only a maximum of 10-15% of all patients can sustain a lifestyle change. As a reason for this, Rubin cites diets that those affected do not accept for themselves, but also external influences such as the conditions of social life. “Preventive measures must always be seen in two dimensions: behavioral prevention and social prevention. Only a combination of both measures can stop the global diabetes pandemic, “says Rubin.

Proper nutrition and sufficient exercise

As stated in the communication, behavior prevention has an impact on individual health behavior. Everyone must do something for their health through a balanced diet and sufficient exercise. “A recently published study on diets has shown that two dietary models are effective in type 2 diabetes: low carbohydrate and traditional Mediterranean diet.”

The expert welcomes the fact that specialist companies finally abandoned the low-fat dogma in 2018. “Prevention studies of the past few decades have consistently used a carbohydrate-rich diet with less than 30 percent energy. of fat “. However, according to the doctor, this hypothesis is obsolete: “According to current data, saturated fats are not even epidemiologically associated with the risk of diabetes,” explains Rubin.

Furthermore, compliance of those affected must always be taken into account with new diet models: “What is good doesn’t have to be good for everyone,” says Rubin. The Mediterranean diet is often not well received by the people of Northern Europe. The goal here is to modify the dishes and ingredients in a way typical of the region, for example instead of olive oil, rapeseed oil. Furthermore, people who eat meat have little interest in suddenly becoming vegetarians. “We have to take this into account and make the menu attractive to all target groups,” says Rubin.

Individual ingredients are important

Although there are still no clear, randomized controlled studies on the optimal “diabetes diet”, one thing seems clear: “In addition to the pure calorie content, the protective effects come mainly from the individual food ingredients. For example, the quality of carbohydrates and fats is crucial, “explains Rubin.

According to the doctor, this is where relationship prevention comes in, which is the second component of diabetes prevention. “We also need to address health prevention in society as a whole.” The food industry is in demand when it comes to healthy, high-quality ingredients in products. This can only be achieved through mandatory and clear labeling of critical nutrients, mandatory reformulation of critical foods and even a ban on advertising. (A.D)