Processed foods: Are you at risk of diabetes?
More than 460 million people worldwide live with diabetes and type II is the most widespread form. Six of the ten countries with the highest rates are Arab states - Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the UAE. The figures show that the region needs clear public information now.
Diabetes is a long term illness that starts when the body stops producing enough insulin or stops using it well. Insulin is the hormone that keeps blood sugar within a safe range. Once insulin action weakens, sugar builds up in the blood and damages organs.
Doctors group diabetes into several forms. Type I is an autoimmune disease that appears in childhood or early adulthood - the pancreas no longer releases insulin - patients need daily injections for life. Type II is the prevalent form - the pancreas releases too little insulin or the body ignores the hormone. Extra body weight, poor food choices and lack of exercise drive most cases. No cure exists - yet balanced meals, regular movement, pills or insulin keep it under control. Secondary diabetes results from other illnesses or long term drugs. Gestational diabetes appears during pregnancy and usually disappears after delivery.
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Typical warning signs are blurry eyesight, constant thirst and hunger, repeated infections, weight loss without cause, frequent urination tingling or pain in hands and feet, tiredness and wounds that heal slowly. Anyone who notices several of those signs should visit a clinic.
Daily food choices strongly shape diabetes risk, especially when the diet relies on ultra processed products such as sweet drinks, packaged snacks, ready-to-eat meals and cured meats. Those products contain large amounts of sugar, salt and factory-made additives and now account for more than half of what many people eat. Research that tracked millions of adults found that each extra 10 percent of ultra processed food in the diet raised the chance of developing type II diabetes by 17 percent. Cutting back on those foods is a practical way to prevent or control the disease.
