Diabetes is among the fastest growing epidemics in the United States. Diabetes is a chronic disease and a leading cause of death and disability that cost $174 billion to treat in 2007. The average medical expenditures for people diagnosed with diabetes is 2.3 times higher than in the absence of the disease. A high-fat diet increases your risk for diabetes and other conditions. Consult your doctor about reducing your risks for diabetes.
Size
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that 23.6 million people in the United States have diabetes -- 17.9 million who have been diagnosed and 5.7 million who are undiagnosed. Between 90 and 95 percent of adult diabetics have type 2 diabetes, with increasing prevalence associated with increasing age. An additional 57 million adults have pre-diabetes, a condition of increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke. Research by Jonathan Shaw, M.D., and published in "Pediatric Diabetes" in 2007 reports that the epidemic of type 2 diabetes affects adolescents and children who are obese.
Types
Dietary fat is comprised of healthy fats and unhealthy fats. Healthy fats include monounsaturated fat, such as oleic acid from olive oil, polyunsaturated fat from safflower oil and omega-3 fatty acids, such as alpha linolenic acid from walnuts and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaneoic acid (DHA) from fish. Unhealthy fats include saturated fat from animal products, such as red meat and trans fats, that are industrially processed and used in fast and fried foods, breads, cakes and margarine. Research by A.C. Thanopoulou published in "Diabetes Care" in 2003 discovered that increased animal fat intake is associated with the presence of diabetes.
Co-Morbidities
Type 2 diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance from skeletal muscle cells associated with weight gain, obesity and impaired glucose metabolism. Increased calories and unhealthy fats in your diet may increase your weight and elevate your risk for obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Research by Shahid Muhammad, M.D., published in "Compendium of Continuing Education in Dentistry" in 2004 notes that the epidemic of type 2 diabetes is growing parallel to the obesity epidemic and that of people with type 2 diabetes, 70 percent die from premature cardiovascular disease.
Prevention
Type 2 diabetes is a preventable condition. A Mediterranean diet composed of plant-based foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, legumes, whole grains and olive oil, plus a few servings of fish per week, with minimal or avoidance of saturated and trans fats and processed foods may help you to reduce your risk of diabetes. Research by Katherine Esposito, M.D., Ph.D., published in "Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice" in 2010 reviewed 17 studies that assessed the effect of the Mediterranean diet in type 2 diabetes and concluded that the accumulated evidence suggests that adopting a Mediterranean diet may help prevent type 2 diabetes and may improve blood sugar and reduce risk of cardiovascular disease in persons with established diabetes.
References
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases: National Diabetes Statistics, 2007
- PubMed: Epidemiology of Childhood Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity
- American Diabetes Association: Fat and Diabetes
- PubMed: Dietary Fat Intake as Risk Factor for the Development of Diabetes: Multinational, Multicenter Study of the Mediterranean Group for the Study of Diabetes
- PubMed: Epidemiology of Diabetes and Obesity in the United States
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