Why do people need insulin for diabetes? The sooner the injection is given, the better it can control blood sugar and help protect organs?
Is diabetes getting younger? Should young adults pay attention to the influence of obesity and genes?
Diabetes is a disorder in the body’s utilization of glucose, causing symptoms of hyperglycemia. In addition to affecting the metabolism of sugar, there may also be problems with the metabolism of protein and fat. The main cause of diabetes is related to insufficient insulin secretion or insulin resistance, and is generally divided into type 1 diabetes (destruction of pancreatic islet cells, resulting in insulin deficiency) and type 2 diabetes (insulin resistance combined with relative insulin deficiency). There are also other types of diabetes and gestational diabetes.
With the advancement of lifestyle and society, diabetes has gradually become one of the most common and important chronic metabolic diseases in Taiwan, especially type 2 diabetes that occurs after the age of 30. According to the “Taiwan Diabetes Yearbook 2019”, there are as many as 150,000-160,000 new cases of type 2 diabetes every year. Among them, the proportion of people with diabetes under the age of 40 has increased from 7.1% to 7.6%, showing a potential trend of younger people with diabetes.
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Why is diabetes getting younger? Large-scale studies believe that obesity in young adults is one of the important indirect causes. Especially as age increases, the fat cells of obese people may continue to cause inflammation and affect insulin resistance. Another important reason is the inheritance of family history of diabetes, which may also lead to insufficient insulin secretion in young people, which may eventually lead to the development of diabetes.
Are diabetics at risk of “glucotoxicity”? Insulin early rescue control
If the blood sugar of young people spikes too high due to diabetes, they may even need early intervention with insulin to help blood sugar stabilize as soon as possible. Dr. Ma Wenya, director of the Department of Metabolic Endocrinology of Xindian Cardinal Tien Hospital, pointed out that excessive blood sugar may cause “glucotoxicity”, inhibiting insulin secretion and increasing insulin resistance, creating a vicious cycle that is detrimental to blood sugar control and causing pancreatic cells to fail to function normally.
Dr. Ma Wenya said that short-term insulin intervention is an effective way to control blood sugar, which can immediately lower blood sugar and reduce the damage caused by glucotoxicity to the body. Later, when the body’s islet cells and pancreatic function gradually recover and blood sugar becomes more stable, there is an opportunity to switch from insulin administration to other treatments and lifestyle adjustments to control blood sugar. Insulin supplementation does not absolutely require lifelong use.
Dr. Ma Wenya said that diabetes is like a ball game. When you have taken diet and exercise control but your blood sugar level still cannot be controlled to the target, insulin can help the body’s pancreatic cells to breathe. For younger people with diabetes, the role of early intervention with insulin is like putting on a powerful “starting pitcher”, helping to achieve longer and more stable control in the future.
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Insulin administration within two years of onset of disease increases organ protection and pancreatic repair
“For this type of patients, early treatment and early intervention of insulin will be helpful to the body!” Dr. Ma Wenya explained that literature research found that patients with diabetes within two years of onset, especially the relatively young diabetic group, if early Active intervention in insulin treatment can achieve better organ protection and better pancreatic repair.
According to Taiwan’s “2022 Type 2 Diabetes Clinical Care Guidelines”, newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients may consider treatment if their blood sugar is higher than 300mg/dL or their glycated hemoglobin is higher than 10%, combined with weight loss and general fatigue. Use insulin to rapidly control hyperglycemia and clinical symptoms. Other situations in which insulin intervention is recommended include severe hyperglycemia (glycated hemoglobin greater than 9%), or combined with poor liver and kidney function, hyperglycemic emergencies, infections, hospitalization, pregnancy, and poor control of hyperglycemia.
For people with diabetes, insulin is an effective weapon to effectively lower blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin. Especially those with typical symptoms of hyperglycemia are the most preferred treatment option. The injection can be continued or stopped after blood sugar stabilizes. However, insulin carries the risk of weight gain and hypoglycemia, so you should be more cautious in dose adjustment and blood glucose monitoring. In addition, people with diabetes should lead a healthy lifestyle, with an appropriate and balanced diet and exercise training, which is the foundation for maintaining stable blood sugar and health.
References:
Taiwan Diabetes Yearbook 2019 Type 2 Diabetes
Diabetes Association of Taiwan: “2022 Type 2 Diabetes Clinical Care Guidelines” pages 105-108
Incidence Trends of Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes among Youths, 2002–2012
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