Diabetes is a widespread disease: in Italy, 4 million patients have been diagnosed, but it is estimated that there is another million with undiagnosed diabetes.
We speak about diabetes in the presence of an excess of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Hyperglycemia may be due to insufficient insulin production (a hormone that regulates blood glucose levels) or to inadequate action. There are two forms of diabetes: type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is strongly lifestyle related.
According to the World Health Organization, diabetes will be the fourth leading cause of death in Europe by 2030. The wrong lifestyle is what alarmed diabetes sufferers, and since childhood it can predispose them to type 2 diabetes.
The cure of diabetes
Patients with type 1 diabetes must take insulin, while in the treatment of type 2 diabetes, a correct diet and regular physical activities are essential. Where necessary, treatment will also be provided with oral hypoglycemic drugs, which can lower blood sugar levels and increase the amount of insulin produced spontaneously or its effectiveness on the body.
Help from Stevia
In terms of nutrition, help comes from stevia, a natural sweetener free of calories and glucose.
As Dr. Manuela Pastore, a dietician from Humanitas explains: “Stevia can be introduced into the diet of diabetic patients because its intake does not cause the appearance of glycemic peaks, as happens with sucrose, the common sugar, compared to which stevia has a sweetening power three hundred times higher.
Stevia can be used to sweeten drinks, but also to prepare desserts, as it is not affected by heat. It is also used to sweeten many pharmacological preparations or supplements. The diet must be balanced for diabetics as well as for non-diabetics; using a sweetener can make a drink more enjoyable, but the diet must be adequate in calories and nutrients.
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