Climate Change Could Trigger a Rise in the Number of Diabetes Cases

STATES CHRONICLE – A new study indicates that global warming can determine an increase in the number of diabetes cases in the future. If the average temperature rises by 1 degree Celsius, then sea levels will rise, crop yields will be affected, and many species will see their habitat disappear or shrink. The study suggested that the number of diabetes cases will increase by more than 100,000 per year in the United States.

A high temperature influences the sugar blood level to become higher

Earlier studies have predicted that the rise of temperature will influence the spread of diseases like dengue fever and malaria. Warm temperatures will boost the number of disease-caring mosquitoes. Because extreme weather will soon become the norm, the spread of water-borne conditions and cholera will be imminent.

However, diabetes is different from all these illnesses because this disease is not contagious. Usually, people develop type 2 diabetes when their sedentary lifestyle and the extra pounds modify their bodies which easily become less sensitive to insulin. This also causes the rise of blood sugar levels, eventually leading to kidney conditions, nerve damage and heart diseases.

The number of diabetes cases may increase if climate change continues to affect the planet

Specialists believe that they might uncover a bond between diabetes and increasing temperatures by posing the problem of the brown fat’s activity. This is also known as the brown adipose tissue (BAT). This type of fat kicks into gear when temperatures are low and the body requests for heat to remain warm. A study from 2015 in which eight adults with type 2 diabetes were surveyed revealed that after they had spent ten days in cold weather, they became more sensitive to insulin because their metabolism improved.

Thus, they managed to reverse a primary symptom of the disease by only spending time in moderately cold conditions. A study from 2016 indicated the existence of a link between the level of blood sugar (HbA1c) and the temperature from outside. When the weather temperature was higher, the level of blood sugar was also higher.

These two studies determined a team of Dutch researchers to analyze whether global warming could be a cause for the high number of diabetes cases. In 1980, about 108 million people lived with this disease. The World Health Organization indicated that by 2014, that number raised to 422 million diabetics. As the study suggests, the higher was the temperature, the higher the blood sugar level. Climate change will not only destroy the environment, but it is also bound to deter our state of health.

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