Essential Knowledge for Blood Sugar Control: Eight High-Risk Groups for Diabetes Require Attention

People at Risk for Diabetes:

Those with a Family History of Diabetes:** A family history of diabetes includes parents, children, or siblings with diabetes. One-third of offspring of people with type 2 diabetes will develop diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. If both parents have type 2 diabetes, it is estimated that their offspring will have approximately a 50% chance of developing diabetes by age 60, with an additional 12% experiencing impaired glucose tolerance. The maternal predisposition to diabetes is higher than that of the paternal. Children of parents with diabetes tend to develop diabetes earlier than children of parents without diabetes.

Those with Hypertension and Dyslipidemia:** Diabetes often affects the body in tandem with hypertension and dyslipidemia. These are the most common complications of diabetes and also risk factors for developing it, as these conditions involve insulin resistance and belong to metabolic syndrome.

Smokers:Smoking can damage multiple organs, especially the cardiovascular system. For diabetic patients, smoking is like adding insult to injury for those already experiencing cardiovascular complications.

Those Who Lack Exercise:Besides burning calories and reducing obesity, exercise can increase insulin sensitivity. Therefore, those who lack exercise are a prime target for diabetes.

Those Who Lack Exercise:Exercise not only burns calories and reduces obesity but also increases insulin sensitivity. Middle-aged and elderly people: As people reach middle age, the pressure of life and work increases, leading to mental stress. Improved living conditions result in higher calorie intake and reduced physical activity, leading to lower calorie expenditure. Additionally, as people age, various organs gradually age, and cell function gradually declines, making this group more susceptible to diabetes. People over 40 years of age should have their urine glucose, glucose tolerance, and blood glucose checked annually.

Chapter 1: The Three Highs—Hidden Health Killers Around You:

Obese individuals: The risk of developing type 2 diabetes is positively correlated with obesity. The longer the duration and the more severe the obesity, the higher the risk of diabetes, especially for those with abdominal obesity (waist circumference ≥90 cm for men and ≥80 cm for women). Generally, adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher are more prone to visceral obesity, but about 14% of non-obese Chinese adults also suffer from visceral obesity. Chinese people tend to accumulate fat around internal organs, thus increasing their risk of type 2 diabetes. Obesity leads to insulin resistance, which in turn causes excessive insulin secretion. This excessive insulin secretion cannot be sustained for long; eventually, pancreatic cells become overwhelmed and fail, leading to diabetes.

People with high-calorie diets: Consuming high-calorie, unbalanced diets coupled with insufficient physical activity easily leads to obesity and reduced insulin sensitivity, promoting the development of diabetes.

People who consume excessive amounts of sugars and starches: Diabetes is essentially a disorder of glucose metabolism. If the body cannot properly metabolize excessive amounts of sugars and starches in its daily diet, this excess leads to pathological metabolic disorders. In fact, people with a light diet and low intake of starchy foods such as potatoes, corn, rice, and refined flour generally do not develop diabetes.

People experiencing unexplained fatigue: The typical "three highs and one low" symptoms—excessive thirst, excessive urination, and fatigue that is not relieved by rest—are the earliest and most common clinical manifestations of diabetes.