(ThyBlackMan.com) Diabetes can quickly take a toll on multiple aspects of your body. However, one of the areas that you may especially be worried about is your eyes, according to the Zietchick Research Institute. Here is a rundown on why diabetes is so dangerous and what you can do as a diabetes sufferer to protect your gift of sight long term.
Two forms of diabetes exist: Type 1 diabetes and Type 2 diabetes. The first type typically begins when a person is a child or young adult, and it occurs when a person’s immune system attacks the pancreas’s beta cells and thus leads to excess sugar in his or her blood. Meanwhile, the second type occurs when a person’s pancreas doesn’t produce an adequate amount of insulin or fails to respond appropriately to insulin. Insulin is a hormone that regulates sugar’s movement into the body’s cells.
Either form of diabetes can cause diabetic retinopathy, a complication that impacts the eyes. However, you can reduce your chances of experiencing diabetic retinopathy by decreasing your daily fat intake. Why? Because extra fat stored in your abdomen area can make you more resistant to insulin.
If you’re serious about enhancing your response to insulin, be sure to consume more omega-3 fatty acids instead of saturated fats. In addition, consume more complex carbohydrates versus simple sugars, as this will decrease your likelihood of gaining weight due to glucose fluctuations.
The reality is, more than 30 million people across the United States – or nearly 10% of the popular – suffer from diabetes. In addition, another 84 million–plus people have prediabetes, which usually leads to the second type of diabetes within a five-year period. However, if you currently have diabetes, or if you end up suffering from diabetes in the future, practicing healthy habits can help you to safeguard your eyesight from this destructive disease long term.
Staff Writer; Steve Moore