Diabetes: physical activity helps in disease prevention and control –

According to the International Diabetes Federation, in the last ten years there has been an increase of 26.61% in the number of patients with the disease in Brazil.

The estimate of the incidence of the condition in 2030 is to reach the number of 21.5 million Brazilians and 643 million individuals worldwide.

Brazil is 5th in the world ranking, with 16.8 million adults (20 to 79 years old) diagnosed with the disease, according to the Diabetes Atlas of the International Diabetes Federation. The country lags behind China, India, the United States and Pakistan.

World Diabetes Day emphasizes the importance of care to avoid the disorder, especially in Brazil, where there is a high incidence of cases.

Characterized by increased blood glucose, diabetes is a metabolic and chronic disease that has an increasing prevalence worldwide due to an interaction of factors related, for example, to the bad habits of modern life.

The disorder happens when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin in sufficient quantity to meet the body’s needs.

Responsible for 90% of cases, type 2 is the most prevalent version and usually affects people over 50 years old.

What are the symptoms?

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Because it is a silent and often asymptomatic disease, the pathology can take years to be discovered. However, some signs can be noticed.

In addition to difficult healing, diabetes manifests itself through symptoms such as frequent infections, vision changes (blurred vision), tingling in the limbs, frequent hunger, the urge to urinate several times a day and constant thirst.

How is the treatment done?

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To treat this chronic disease, physical activity and nutrition are great allies. However, treatment may also involve medication and insulin application.

How to prevent and combat the problem?

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The cause of type 2 diabetes is linked to a diet rich in carbohydrates and a sedentary lifestyle. For this reason, the physical education professional Aurelius Alfieri highlights the importance of exercising regularly to prevent and control the problem.

“Both to prevent the disease and to control it, a little daily physical activity is essential and can save lives. What is meant by this is any activity that makes the person feel slightly out of breath”, says Aurélio Alfieri, who is also a youtuber and digital influencer.

According to him, the individual does not necessarily need to attend a gym and do heavy cycles of exercises to prevent the pathology.

“Simple day-to-day tasks, such as climbing the building’s stairs, walking around the workplace or while cleaning at home, that all counts”, highlights the professional.

Alfieri warns that patients diagnosed with diabetes should avoid activities with impact.

In addition, it is necessary to pay extra attention to the feet, because if the person has cracks, calluses or other wounds, the effort can have serious consequences due to the difficulty of healing for diabetics.

“For this reason, low to medium intensity exercises are recommended, such as walking, cycling or swimming”, he says.

The intensity of the movements should vary according to each individual. “What can lead a person to become out of breath can be insufficient for another and vice versa, taking into account characteristics such as weight, age group and physical conditioning of each one”, she says.

Regarding time, the physical education professional makes a recommendation based on data from the World Health Organization: 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week for adults.

Healthy eating should also be combined with physical activity for the prevention and control of diabetes.

“Ideally, it should be a balanced diet with less sugar and fewer carbohydrates, preferably under the guidance of a nutrition professional”, concludes Alfieri.