India is called the 'Diabetes Capital' of the world, where crores of people are affected by type-2 diabetes and prediabetes. Whenever there is talk of this disease in any family or society, the first advice given is –"Stop sugar in tea, give up sweets, you will never have diabetes." But medical science and endocrinologists (hormone experts) consider this common belief to be half-baked and misleading. The reality is that simply giving up white sugar or sweets will not completely protect you from this serious metabolic disorder. Many people avoid sweets throughout their life, yet after crossing the age of 40, their fasting sugar and HbA1c levels cross the danger mark. Why does this happen Diabetes actually starts not with excess sugar, but with the development of 'insulin resistance' in the body. Does eating sweets directly cause diabetes? Understand the real science: Type 2 diabetes occurs when our pancreas does not produce enough insulin hormone, or the body's cells stop recognizing insulin signals. The job of insulin is to transport the glucose present in the blood into the cells so that the body can get energy. When cells become resistant to insulin, glucose remains floating in the blood instead of going into the cells, causing blood sugar to increase. White sugar or sweet items are rich in calories and lead to weight gain, which can indirectly promote insulin resistance. But sugar itself is not the sole cause of diabetes. If you do not eat sweets at all, but other components of your lifestyle and diet are disturbed, then the pancreas is affected as badly as the person who eats sweets. If not sweet, then what increases the real risk of diabetes? According to diabetes experts, hidden causes which we often ignore considering them healthy or normal, have a more dangerous role than sugar in causing blood sugar imbalance. 1. Refined Carbohydrates: 'White Poison' that increases sugar faster than sugar Most Indian thali are filled with refined flour, white rice, white bread, naan, samosa, kachori and packaged noodles. The 'Glycemic Index' (GI) of these foods is very high. When you eat a plate of white rice or things made from refined flour, the digestive system converts them directly into glucose within minutes. This spike is as intense as eating table sugar. Consuming a diet high in simple carbs on a regular basis causes the pancreas to repeatedly release large amounts of insulin, which leads to fatigue of the beta cells within a few years and insulin resistance. 2. Visceral Fat and Belly Fat: If your weight looks normal, but there is accumulation of visceral fat around the stomach, then you are on the biggest radar of diabetes. This is called 'Thin-Fat Indian Syndrome'. This stubborn fat deposited around the intestines, liver and pancreas releases inflammatory chemicals called cytokines in the body. These chemicals completely destroy the insulin sensitivity of cells. This is the reason why even thin looking Indians are rapidly becoming prediabetic due to heavy stomach. 3. Physical inactivity and sitting on a chair for hours (Sedentary Lifestyle) Muscles are the biggest consumers (sinks) of glucose in the body. When you walk, climb stairs or exercise, the muscles absorb sugar directly from the blood without much help from insulin. But if your routine is such that it involves sitting on a chair for 8 to 10 hours, using lifts and not doing any workout, then the ability of the muscles to absorb glucose is lost. An inactive lifestyle directly dulls the insulin receptors. 4. Chronic stress and the game of cortisol hormone: In today's stressful environment, continuous mental stress is a big silent trigger of diabetes. When you are under stress, the adrenal glands increase the secretion of stress hormones like 'cortisol' and 'adrenaline'. These hormones flood the blood with glucose by breaking down glycogen stored in the liver to keep the body in 'fight or flight' mode. If stress continues for weeks and months, the person's blood sugar starts to remain high even without eating a single sweet. 5. Lack of sleep and ultra-processed packaged foods Incomplete sleep of less than 6 hours daily or the problem of sleep apnea along with snoring badly affects the body's metabolism. Due to lack of sleep, ghrelin (hunger hormone) increases and leptin decreases in the body, along with an immediate drop in insulin sensitivity of 30 to 40 percent. Additionally, 'sugar-free' or 'diet' labeled products, packaged namkeen, biscuits and sauces sold in the market contain heavy amounts of palm oil, sodium and hidden starches which cause fat accumulation in the liver leading to fatty liver and ultimately diabetes. The role of genetics and family history If one or both of your parents have type 2 diabetes, your genetic makeup predisposes you to a 40 to 70 percent risk of developing the disease. Genetics loads the bullet in your gun, but your lifestyle drives it. If there is a family history of sugar, just giving up sugar is not enough; You have to work on regular preventive health checkups and weight control from an early age. What is the right and holistic way to avoid diabetes? Prevention of diabetes is possible not only by giving up sweets, but by overall lifestyle improvement. Fill half of your plate with green vegetables, salads and fibre, one-fourth with proteins like dal, paneer, eggs or fish and only one-fourth with complex carbohydrates (like millet, jowar, ragi or brown rice). Get at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week—like a 30-minute brisk walk and light strength training exercises—to keep your muscles active. Get 7 to 8 hours of deep sleep every night and take the help of pranayam or yoga for stress management. If you are above 30 years of age, get your insulin resistance level checked timely by getting HbA1c test and fasting insulin test done at least once a year.
