Diabetes is a metabolic disease characterized by high levels of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Lack of treatment and reduced sugar consumption can lead to serious damage to the heart, arteries, eyes, kidneys and nervous system. There are several types of diabetes, type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that must be treated with lifelong doses of insulin. The most common type of diabetes among the world's population, both in developed, middle-income countries and in poor countries, is type 2 diabetes, which is characterized by the body not producing enough insulin.
Although not all people with type 2 diabetes are overweight, obesity and living a sedentary lifestyle without physical activity, such as exercise, are considered the most common causes of type 2 diabetes. About 90% to 95% of diabetes cases in the United States are a result of being overweight and physical inactivity. Around 430 million people around the world suffer from it.
In modern consumer society, type 2 diabetes has become a widespread disease. Laboratories are developing increasingly more expensive drugs, but not necessarily more effective.
In light of the rapid spread of diabetes, the UN wants to persuade governments to act, because this disease destroys lives on five continents and places a heavy burden on public budgets. Although new miraculous cures are constantly being promised, the disease cannot yet be satisfactorily treated.
In the last forty years, the entire system has gone crazy because patients are taking too many medications or can't afford them. The only beneficiary of this bleak situation seems to be the pharmaceutical industry: with a turnover of 46 billion dollars, diabetes represents a gigantic and extremely lucrative market responsible for blood sugar levels. It leads to excessive administration of medications, sometimes neglecting dangerous side effects. In this way, patients become trapped in a spiral of therapies.
