Type 2 diabetes mellitus: symptoms and diet

By Cristiano Antonino Last updated Apr 20, 2023

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease characterized by high blood glucose levels and due to an alteration in the amount or functioning of insulin

It is called type 2 to distinguish it from type 1, also called juvenile diabetes, which affects 10% of cases

The latter is characterized by beta-cell destruction, either on an autoimmune or idiopathic basis, leading to an absolute insulin deficiency.

Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, is characterized by a condition in which the pancreas is able to produce the hormone insulin, but the latter is insufficient.

Or it is not used optimally by the body.

In both cases, this circumstance leads to an excess of glucose in the blood.

The patient is not insulin dependent

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is not insulin dependent.

External insulin injection, unlike in type 1 diabetes, is not vital.

From an etiological point of view, there is no certain and univocal cause, however we can speak of a multifactorial genesis.

The risk of developing the disease increases with age (it generally occurs in adulthood, after the age of 40), with obesity and lack of physical activity.

Familiarity with the disease seems to play a crucial role: about 40% of type 2 diabetics have first-degree relatives (parents or siblings) affected by the same disease.

The symptoms are generally not evident and are easily ignored, the diagnosis of diabetes can even occur randomly, for example during a check-up.

The strong delay in the detection of type 2 diabetes is at the origin of the complications in the advanced stage, sometimes already recognizable at the time of diagnosis.

Symptoms and complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes mellitus are less manifest than those of type 1 diabetes mellitus.

The disease may not even cause any symptoms for a long time.

The latter develops gradually and therefore becomes even more complicated to identify.

The most common signs include:

intense thirst
frequent need to urinate
glycosuria, i.e. loss of sugar in the urine
increased appetite
fatigue and blurry vision
increase in genital and urinary tract infections (cystitis, etc.)
cuts or small wounds that heal more slowly
in the most manifest cases, vaginal dryness in women and erectile dysfunction in men.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus can lead to numerous short- and long-term complications.

Type 2 diabetes, short-term complications

These are complications that can be present from the beginning of the pathology and for its entire duration and which, if not treated appropriately, can cause serious effects.

For example hyperglycemia.

Blood sugar can rise excessively due to a large meal or if you do not take the prescribed therapy or due to a concomitant illness (such as the flu).

If you have symptoms such as:

need to urinate frequently
very pronounced thirst
dry mouth
tiredness
blurred vision
difficulty concentrating

It is essential to check blood sugar immediately, drink plenty of water and exercise (walk), take the therapy (if not yet administered).

If the glycemia remains above 250mg/dl, it is necessary to inform the doctor.

A rather rare consequence of severe hyperglycemia in long-standing type 2 diabetes is so-called ketoacidosis.

If sugar remains in the blood, the cells begin to use fat for energy, causing the formation of substances toxic to the body: ketones (diabetic ketoacidosis).

To check for ketoacidosis, test strips are used to detect the presence of ketones in the urine.

In case of large quantities, a doctor should be contacted immediately.

Hypoglycemia, on the other hand, is the sudden drop in blood sugar, with blood sugar below 70mg/dl, due to:

an inadequate meal with respect to the therapy in progress
or excessive physical effort not accompanied by sugar intake
or, for those on insulin therapy, the administration of an excessive dose of the latter.

The symptoms of hypoglycemia are configured as:

irritability
sense of hunger
sweating
tremor
palpitations
confusion and weakness

In this phase the patient can stop the symptoms by taking a piece of fruit or sugar or a glass of a sugary drink.

If the symptoms do not stop, it is necessary to measure the blood sugar with the reflectometer after about 15 minutes, taking sugar again.

In case of non-timely intervention, the symptoms can worsen up to the loss of consciousness.

In this case it is necessary for another person to administer a vial of glucagon, a hormone that causes the rapid increase of glucose in the blood.

Long-term complications of type 2 diabetes

Diabetes, over the years, can cause complications at the level of different organs.

The risk of developing these complications, sometimes seriously disabling or even fatal, can be contained through good blood sugar control over time.

The organs typically involved are the eye, kidney, nervous system, and cardiovascular system.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus diet

A healthy and well-balanced diet has the main objective of keeping the blood sugar level under control.

A disproportionate diet compared to the real needs, in fact, increases the need for insulin, forcing the pancreas into excessive activity.

However, the production of this hormone may be insufficient to meet the demands generated by a similar diet.

For this reason, achieving and maintaining ideal weight through a correct diet is often sufficient to implement effective diabetes control.

There are no particular food restrictions for a diabetic subject.

The latter requires a daily caloric intake comparable to that of a non-diabetic subject.

All this always in relation to elements such as physical constitution, gender, age, height and work activity.

If there is no need to achieve rapid weight loss, with a reduction of about 900 calories per day, a weight loss of about 3 kg per month can be achieved.

Loss that can be further increased with the daily performance of moderate physical exercise or walking and use of the bicycle.

In the daily diet it is necessary to carefully evaluate the intake of simple sugars with rapid absorption, such as glucose and sucrose.

Slowly absorbed complex sugars, such as starch, should be preferred.

The total daily amount of carbohydrates should not exceed 50-55% of total calories.

Provided that at least 80% of it is composed of starch and the remaining 20% of non-insulin-dependent sugars and fibers.

The fibers are to be taken in high doses, especially the water-soluble ones, capable of slowing down the intestinal absorption of carbohydrates and cholesterol.

Proteins must cover about 15%-20% of total calories and at least one third must be made up of animal proteins, rich in essential amino acids.

The remaining calories (25%-30%) must be supplied by fats, possibly of vegetable origin, with a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, useful in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases.

The intake in terms of vitamins and mineral salts must also be appropriate.

Each food can be replaced by others, provided they are attributable to the same group.

Alternatively, substitution between foods of different groups is also permitted, provided they have similar nutrient content.

In the diabetic diet, the system of food exchange allows you to plan meals according to various tastes.

One way to swap foods while keeping the calorie intake unchanged is to group them according to their sugar content.

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