Diabetes affects more than half a billion people worldwide, and many people worry about the impact it may have or is having on their lives. New research has revealed the most Googled questions related to the disease. The Diabetes Website Study Strong diabetes analyzed thousands of diabetes-related search terms to see which are the most searched for, with the most common queries asking what diabetes is and what causes it.
Data indicates that “what is diabetes” is searched on Google by an average of 71,000 people per month across the world. “What causes diabetes” is the second most common phrase, with around 64,000 average monthly searches across the world.
In third place is “What is type 2 diabetes?” ”, receiving an average of 44,000 searches per month. ” How to prevent diabetes ? » is searched on Google 37,000 times per month worldwide, making it the fourth most searched diabetes-related question on Google.
“What is type 1 diabetes? ” ranks as the fifth most searched question on Google with an average monthly search volume of 25,000. Other common searches include “What foods to avoid with diabetes?” », “What are the causes of hypoglycemia without diabetes? », “What is diabetes mellitus” and “How to know if you have diabetes”.
What is diabetes ?
Diabetes is a lifelong disease. This affects the body by causing blood sugar levels to become too high. According to the latest IDF Diabetes Atlas, approximately 537 million adults are living with diabetes; However, 1 in 2 adults have but go undiagnosed diabetes worldwide. Diabetes can affect people of any age. There are two types of diabetes, and insulin causes both. If your body doesn’t produce enough or respond to it, too much blood sugar will remain in your bloodstream, leading to dangerous health problems such as heart or kidney disease.
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to the following complications:
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Kidney disease (diabetic nephropathy)
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Eye disease (diabetic retinopathy)
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Nerve-related problems (diabetic neuropathy)
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Diabetic foot (main cause of foot amputation)
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Increased risk of heart disease and stroke
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Increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s
What are the causes of diabetes?
Diabetes can be caused by environmental and genetic factors, although the exact cause is unknown. An inactive lifestyle and being overweight are the two most common causes of type 2 diabetes.
What is type 2 diabetes?
Type 2 diabetes is much more common than type 1 diabetes. This is where the body does not produce enough insulin or the body’s cells do not respond to insulin. Insulin is vital because it helps your body use glucose for energy. It is a lifelong disease and is often linked to weight, lack of exercise, or a family history of this type of diabetes. The most important symptoms of this type are feeling thirsty most of the time, fatigue and the need to urinate very often.
What is type 1 diabetes?
In this type of diabetes, your blood sugar is too high because the pancreas cannot produce the hormone insulin at all; you need to inject it to control blood sugar. Your body will continue to break down the carbohydrates in foods and drinks that enter your body and turn them into glucose, but there is no insulin to allow it to enter your body’s cells. This in turn causes a buildup of glucose in your bloodstream, leading to high blood sugar levels. Research is ongoing to determine the cause of type 1 diabetes, as it is not directly related to diet or lifestyle.
How to prevent diabetes
There are no lifestyle changes to reduce your risk of type 1 diabetes; however, for type 2, a healthy diet and exercise can help reduce the risk. These include:
Taking prescribed medications
Managing blood sugar and body weight
Avoid fried and processed foods and sugary drinks
Exercise regularly and sleep well
Say no to tobacco and alcohol
Have regular health checks.
Christel Oerum, CEO of Strong diabetes, said: “This data provides a fascinating insight into the concerns and questions people have about diabetes. Hundreds of thousands of searches are performed each month on the subject, demonstrating that the public wants to know as much as possible about this disease. Diabetes Strong’s goal is to provide a platform where people living with any type of diabetes can find all the information they need to live a healthy and active life.
