In Mexico there are 12 million 400 thousand people with some variant of diabetes, according to data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (Ensanut), type 2 or diabetes is the most common in people over 60 years of age, but do you know that there are foods that can help you control these conditions? So one of them is nopal.
nutritionist at the General Regional Hospital (HGR) number 1 of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) in Tijuana, Baja California, stated that the intake of nopal helps with the control of diabetes and hyperglycemia.
Does it have scientific validity? The doctor stated that he has proven its effectiveness in preventing diabetes, because this endemic product manages to stabilize and control the level of sugar in the blood. Additionally, because cholesterol is high in humans, the consumption of nopal prevents a large part of it from being absorbed and accumulating in the body.
Another of the benefits of nopal are the amino acids, fiber and niacin that it contains, controlling excess gastric acids and protecting the gastrointestinal mucosa, preventing ulcers and helping to remove toxins from alcohol and cigarette smoke.
Diabetes is fatal if not controlled
According to official figures, the annual death from diabetes mellitus is 361,000 inhabitants, and type 1 is 30 deaths per 100,000.
The head of internal medicine of the National Homeopathic Hospital (HNH) of the Ministry of Health, David Alejandro Vargas, mentioned that the consequences of late care or lack of diabetes are observed in the loss of kidney function, acute problems of vision, amputations, myocardial. infarction, major cardiovascular events, neuropathy and chronic pain in the extremities.
How do I know if I have diabetes?
The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases specifies that type 2 diabetes is caused by a number of factors, including lifestyle and genetics; but there are those who have more disease when they are overweight, obese, have a poor intake of food, and are physically inactive.
The best medicine against diabetes is prevention, going to annual checkups and staying active, but according to the Ministry of Health, the common symptoms of this condition are:
- Increased volume of urine
- Feeling thirsty and hungry
- fatigue
- Weight loss and fatigue
- Sometimes it is accompanied by a lack of vision and rapid breathing
