Young-onset Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes, is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose is too high.

Blood glucose: also called blood sugar. It is your main source of energy and comes mainly from the food you eat.

In type 2 diabetes, your body doesn’t make enough insulin or doesn’t use insulin well.

Insulin: a hormone made by your pancreas that helps your body use glucose (blood sugar) for energy. Insulin helps to control blood glucose levels.

Too much glucose then stays in your blood, and not enough reaches your cells.

Basic Information

Approximately 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes most often develops in people over age 45, but more and more children, teens, and young adults are also developing it.

Causes

  • overweight and obesity
  • not being physically active
  • insulin resistance
  • genes

    • Symptoms

  • Increased thirst
  • Frequent urination
  • Increased hunger
  • Unintended weight loss
  • Blurred vision
  • Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet
  • Areas of darkened skin, usually in the armpits and neck

    • How it works?

    We all need insulin to live. It allows the glucose in our blood to enter our cells and fuel our blood. But, when you have type 2 diabetes, your insulin doesn't work properly:

    *click food to start*

    1. Food and drink in the stomach is converted into glucose.

    -->

    2. Pancreas produces insulin that cannot work properly; glucose unable to enetr body effectively

    3. Too many glucose in blood, causes hight glucose levels.

    Young-onset type 2 diabetes

    The rising number of young people with type 2 diabetes is a more recent development.

    Earlier onset of diabetes leads to longer lifetime exposure to hyperglycaemia(= high blood sugar) and consequently greater propensity for long-term complications.

    Complications

  • Heart and blood vessel disease
  • Kidney disease
  • Nerve damage
  • Eye damage
  • Dementia

    • Statistics

    Based on the report in 2021, There are approximately 537 million adults (20-79 years) living with diabetes, while over 90% of them are type 2 diabetes.

    It's estimated that by 2045, 1 in 8 adults, approximately 783 million, will be living with diabetes, an increase of 46%.

    *For Fig1. and Fig4.2, participants are aged 15-39 years, from 204 countries and territories.

    Past and current: Global distribution of early onset type 2 diabetes

    Fig1. Temporal trend of age standardised incidence rate of early onset type 2 diabetes, from 1990 to 2019.
    y-axis: Age standardised incidence rate (per 100,000)

    - the new cases of type 2 diabetes in the specific age group (15-39) by different years

    x-axis: Year
    colored bars: Socio-demographic index (SDI)

    - a representation of social and economic development.

    Future: Diabetes prevalence in the current and projections to 2045

    Fig2. Prevalence of diabetes by age group in adults (20–79 years) in 2019 and estimated in 2045
    y-axis: Prevalence of diabetes
    x-axis: Age group
    Fig3. Number of people with diabetes in adults (20-79 years) by age group in 2021 and estimated in 2045
    y-axis: Number of people with diabetes (in millions)

    - the percentage of people within a specific age range who have diabetes

    x-axis: Age group

    Risk: Why and what should we care

    Mortality

    Fig4.1 Number of deaths due to diabetes in young adults (20-49 years), by age in 2019 and 2021
    y-axis: Number of death due to diabetes
    x-axis: Year

    Risk factors

    Fig4.2 Attributable risk factors for DALY in early onset type 2 diabetes in 2019
    y-axis: Proportion of DALY attributable to risk factors

    - the percentage of the burden of DALY for early-onset type 2 diabetes that attributed to 15 specific risk factors

    x-axis: Attributable risk factors

    - factors that can contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes

    Diet

    Why a balanced diet?

    The cornerstone of type 2 diabetes management is a healthy diet, increased physical activity, not smoking and maintaining a healthy body weight. It' s necessary for people have diabetes or prediabetes to have a balanced diet to help manage your blood glucose level.

    Fig4.2 above also shows high body mass index and diet-related factors as crucial factors contribute to type 2 diabetes.

    What is a good diet?

  • whole, minimally processed foods
  • fiber-rich fruits and vegetables
  • complex carbohydrates in moderation
  • lean protein
  • healhty fats

    • All food is made up of three main nutrients: carbohydrates, protein and fat. Everyone need a different amount of all three to stay healthy, regardingless their diabetes status.

    Carbohydrates

    You can find carbohydrates in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and beans, and dairy. There are three main types of carbs: starch, fiber, and sugar.

    The goal is to choose carbs that are nutrient-dense, which means they are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, and low in added sugars, sodium, and unhealthy fats.

    Table5. Carbohydrates options: recommended & not recommended

    Protein

    Protein is essential to human body. How much protein you need depends on your age, sex, health, and physical activity.

    On average, people with diabetes eat about 15-20% of the daily calories (typically 1-1.5 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight per day).

    Table6. Recommended protein choices

    Fat

    Unlike many people thought, fat is necessary for people with diabetes.

    One meta-analysis shows getting enough right kinds of fat help lowering insulin resistance and better control over blood sugar. The key is to tell a good fat from a bad fat.

    Table7.1 Characteristics of the four types of fat
    Table7.2 Sources of the four types of fat