“Nearly 80,000 deceased suffer from type 2 diabetes, which is linked to obesity”

“Nearly 80,000 die with type 2 diabetes linked to obesity”. This was expressed yesterday by Elias Delgado, head of the HUCA Endocrinology and Nutrition Service, who will give his entrance speech at the Royal Academy of Medicine of the Principality of Asturias this afternoon. The presentation, titled ‘Diabetes Mellitus: From Milestone to Milestone, in Search of a Cure’, will include a historical review of the perception of the disease. Until 1922, people who had type 1 diabetes died within a few months, then, once insulin was discovered, the challenge was to sequence the risk factors.

The challenges related to the potential of new technologies in the medical field today are varied. “Within a few years, it will be unthinkable to have to take insulin multiple times a day,” Delgado said yesterday. In 2016, the first implants allowing continuous control of glucose levels appeared. A discovery that, “combined with another such as the subcutaneous infusion pump”, makes it possible to dose insulin doses according to each patient’s needs.

a social problem

Another factor that had an endocrine effect was the alarming increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes. According to the professional, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle and poor dietary habits are behind the high rates of disease in the region. “Ultra-processed foods remain easy choices in many households because they are within everyone’s reach,” he said.