Why Do We Get Diabetes?

Honestly, we all live carelessly thinking “It won’t happen to me,” and only regret it when we end up in the hospital. We ignore older people’s nagging to be careful, but when our bodies actually break down, we cry our eyes out and resent our past choices. Why on earth do we get diabetes? Before we end up in a real-life horror movie where we have to inject ourselves with a needle every single day for the rest of our lives, we can totally avoid this nightmare if we just pay a little attention now. Even as Nai, running my own business here in Frankfurt, Germany, I used to eat whatever because I was always busy, but this video gave me a major wake-up call!

• The real villain behind diabetes is ‘insulin resistance’? Looking at YouTube and blog comments, so many people think “Diabetes = a disease you get from eating too much sugar.” But according to a top professor from Seoul National University, the core issue is obesity, meaning ‘fat’! When we eat, glucose needs to enter our muscles to become energy. But if we gain weight, our cells get clogged with fat. So even when insulin rings the doorbell screaming “Open the door!”, the cell just can’t hear it. In the end, glucose just floats around in the blood, which is the very beginning of diabetes.
  
• Korean pancreases are smaller and more fragile than Westerners’ (Truth bomb) Living in Germany, I see locals eating tons of meat and sausages and they’re totally fine, so why are Koreans particularly vulnerable to diabetes? Turns out, our ancestors evolved to have smaller bodies suitable for farming, which means our pancreas is also small and can’t produce as much insulin. But our modern diets have become super Westernized—eating three big meals, late-night snacks, and crazy sweet/salty desserts. Our pancreas simply goes on strike. Looking at online reactions and blog comments, there are tons of 20s and 30s regretting everything, saying, “I didn’t know my pancreas was this weak,” and “I want to punch my past self for eating cakes with sweet lattes.”
  
• “Insulin injections are a declaration of giving up on your pancreas.” This was honestly the most chilling part. Many young folks think taking meds or getting shots will just cure it, but needing an insulin shot means your pancreas has completely given up working on its own. In the YouTube comment sections, people were freaking out, saying, “My dad started insulin shots and he is in so much pain,” and “They say 90% of diabetic patients don’t manage their diets… I felt so attacked.” If you seriously don’t want to rely on daily injections, you absolutely have to lose weight in the early stages. Losing weight cleans out the fat blocking that cell doorbell, and diabetes can actually disappear!

Wrapping up with a reality check

Honestly, listening to the doctor might make you think, “So if I just lose weight, I’m fully cured? Sweet!” But experts have a more critical perspective, too. Losing weight doesn’t guarantee your pancreas function will return to 100% for everyone, and you can never completely ignore genetic factors. It’s also super dangerous to blindly refuse medical treatment just because you think meds are bad, which might cause you to miss the golden window for treatment.

The good thing is, there’s hope that we can prevent the worst complications just through diet and exercise in our daily lives. Especially for 20s and 30s hustlers like me who are busy running a private business abroad, it’s so easy to live off delivery food and sugar as a stress relief. But if you really don’t want a life of jabbing yourself with needles, let’s cut out the liquid sugar and start taking the stairs today. Regret always comes too late!