Links between poorer environmental quality and increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes

Planetary Health Alliance
6 min readJun 23, 2021

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Nancy Drew

INTRODUCTION:

The onset of diabetes can bring about a life-changing turning point. The disease of diabetes occurs when one’s blood sugar, which is also called blood glucose, increases beyond a certain point. Blood glucose is a vital source of energy, which comes from the food humans ingest. Hormones called insulin, which are made up of glands across the body, help distribute glucose in people’s cells, ultimately producing energy.

Sometimes, one’s body does not make an adequate amount of insulin. This results in glucose staying in the bloodstream itself instead of reaching cells to produce energy. Diabetes not only occurs from decreased insulin levels, but is also activated by environmental factors, age, and diet. Contracting a virus at an early age may also drive type 1 diabetes for some people.

Environmental factors, including water, soil, stress, diet, pollution, activity levels, vitamin-D levels, and immune system damage, play a significant role in the etiology of diabetes. For example, several studies report that air pollution increases the risk of the onset of diabetes. Furthermore, people who live in a cold climate are most likely to develop type 1 diabetes. In fact, doctors diagnose more people with type 1 diabetes in the winter than in the summer. Accepting new environments, including changed life routines and habits, is also essential to managing one’s diabetes.

Taking insulin will increase one’s glucose to a safe and normal level.When someone has a less severe case of diabetes, people sometimes call it “borderline diabetes” or “a touch of sugar.” However, every issue of diabetes is serious, whether it is small or big. It is essential to take measures to practice positive mental health by being aware of emotional and physical feelings.

How might adverse lifestyle and environmental changes cause type 2 Diabetes?

Below the favorable environmental and lifestyle conditions, people who exhibit a high genetic or congenital risk have an increased chance of developing type 2 Diabetes (T2D). Diabetes risk genes are both directly and indirectly affected by the cell function inside the body. Sometimes individuals may also not be adjusted to an environment after a sudden shift from one place to another, which could escalate their vulnerability to disease. For example, an unfavorable change in lifestyle and climate in 13 states to an increased diabetes rate for many Native Americans.

It seems unlikely that these same types of changes in lifestyle and environment can be prevalent in countries with diverse cultural, socioeconomic, life conditions, and environment. However, it is evident that various changes in environment and lifestyle result in an increased frequency of the foremost diabetes risk factor, namely a rise in the mean Body Mass Index (BMI) in populations worldwide.

The global heaviness epidemic translates certain lifestyle and environmental changes into a higher T2D risk. Epidemic analyses suggest that many diabetes risk factors contribute to developing the disease by watching TV, shifts in work, emotional stress, infections, presence of fine dust, reduced sleep time, fewer physical activities, and changes in diet. However, the differing risk factors are not necessarily expected to interact directly.

The loss of insulin production is the most significant leader in developing visible T2D, and environmental lifestyle factors can damage cells directly or indirectly in an indiscernible way. Discourse diabetes-protective factors seen to display medication activity. For example, exposure to fine dust or road traffic are connected with increasing liquidity of the body with C-reactive protein or white blood cells. Often influenced by one’s environment, sleep need is another important aspect of disease vulnerability because it is linked to increased inflammatory reactivity, even after just one night of sleep loss. A “Western” diet, including refined starches, sugars, and saturated fats, is further known to provide delicate (lasting 2–3 hours) up-regulation of an unhealthy immune broker sustained low-grade systemic inflammation of the human body.

If you think you may be experiencing illness, make sure to receive a Rapid Blood Test and contact your doctor right away to get the proper treatment. Diabetes remedies result in an improved quality of life for you and your environment.

5 New Effective Strategies To Prevent Diabetes:

Diabetes may not be averted all the time. Professionals can hardly prevent type 1 diabetes. Hereditary and other risk factors may increase your risk of diabetes despite your efforts to maintain a healthy environment and lifestyle. In order to reduce your chances of developing type 2 diabetes, however, it is recommended to stay active and manage your diet. No matter what, if you have diabetes, you can still live a happy and long life.

Diabetes sets demands for careful management and planning, but it shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying and engaging in day-to-day activities. Many therapies and treatments exist for type 1 and type 2 diabetes, which may provide relief for some time. To completely resolve diabetes, individuals can take practical measures such as:

● Managing stress.

● Improving the diet.

● Increasing physical activity.

● Improving the housing environment and sleep duration.

● Quitting alcohol and smoking.

● Managing Stress is one of the most important aspects of remedying diabetes. Stress produces hormones that increase the sugar level in the blood, which can ultimately result in diabetes. So, in order to handle diabetes, one must first work to maintain a consistent and controlled stress level. It can be challenging to preserve a daily routine when you experience pressure. When these instances arise, you should draw awareness to your stress level. If you find a change in your stress pattern, you must spot your warning signs and keep yourself calm in order to prevent stress and keep your blood sugar low. Generally, these therapies usually work better than medication, but in some cases, both medicine and therapy work best in combination.

● Improving your diet plays the most crucial role in maintaining sugar levels in your body. Eating a well-balanced diet, maximizing the use of sodium, and choosing healthy vegetables and fruits for daily purposes will strengthen your body’s response to disease and desires. Reject foods with trans fat or saturated sugar and avoid the consumption of alcohol. Magnesium and calcium are rich food items that can be very useful for fighting diabetes. Apple cider vinegar and fawn extract is also beneficial for diabetes patients. Overall, the intake of healthy food which is low in fats is most important in managing diabetes.

● Diabetic patients should focus on physical activity. Movement, such as walking, can help make it easier to treat diabetes. Try to start with 15 minutes of walking (at least one mile) every day. This exercise will strengthen the heart and regulate the sugar level in the blood, among many other benefits. Staying active two to three days a week for at least 25 minutes will effectively impact your cholesterol and blood pressure, as well. The workouts should not be stressful and exhausting, rather they should be done in a manner that is enjoyable and peaceful. These workouts include jogging, playing games, walking, swimming, or doing some other activity through which the heart is pumped.

● Proper sleep duration and housing environment are also a crucial part of addressing diabetes disease. It is important to try to be surrounded by happy people and a peaceful environment. This can improve your mood and relieve your stress. You should talk with your family and friends, create a happy environment in your home, start playing indoor games, watch TV with your family and friends, and read funny books or jokes. Sometimes allowing time for proper sleep will also help you to recover from various troubles and diseases. It is essential to sleep 7–8 hours per night for diabetes patients in order to maintain a stable mood.

● Cigarettes increase your vulnerability to developing diabetes by 44 percent.New research finds that quitting smoking will lower your risk for disease. According to a study, quitting alcohol and smoking will make your life sober and flexible, such that you may live your life on your own terms and rules. In order to give up nicotine, seek replacement therapy to reduce cigarette cravings gradually. Also, avoid the people, situations, or places which may provoke an urge to smoke. You can take prescription medication to help quit smoking, as well. Contact your doctor for future recommendations.

CONCLUSION

Environmental factors play a significant role both in type 1 and 2ype 2 Diabetes. Beyond genetic and heredity factors, environmental and lifestyle changes may accelerate diabetes. This article reviews these attributes in detail. Furthermore, this article provides some practical ways through which you can prevent and manage diabetes.

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Planetary Health Alliance
Planetary Health Alliance

Written by Planetary Health Alliance

Generating better understanding of the links between accelerating global environmental change and human health to support policy making and public education

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