Lernzettel: Nutrition-Related Health Conditions

📋 Course Outline

1. Blood Glucose Imbalances
2. Glycaemic Index and Food Choices
3. Type 1 Diabetes
4. Type 2 Diabetes Management
5. Osteoporosis Prevention

📖 1. Blood Glucose Imbalances

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Blood glucose level : indicates the amount of glucose in the blood, with a normal level of about 10 mmol/litre of blood.
• Hypoglycaemia : a low blood glucose level caused by a sudden removal of glucose from the blood.
• Hyperglycaemia : a high blood glucose level in which sugar builds up in the blood instead of being converted to energy.

★ Must-know

📌 Low blood glucose is managed by eating slow-release or low-GI carbohydrates at every meal to keep the blood glucose level stable.

Further detail

• Low blood glucose levels can develop after: skipping meals or eating too little, exercising hard or for a long time without extra food, eating high-fat or high-glycaemic-index foods that trigger insulin release and a sharp glucose drop

💡 Memory Hook

Hypoglycaemia means glucose is too low, whereas hyperglycaemia means glucose is too high.

📖 2. Glycaemic Index and Food Choices

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Glycaemic Index : measures how much a carbohydrate-containing food raises blood glucose on a scale from 1 to 100.

★ Must-know

📌 Low-GI foods have a Glycaemic Index of 1–55, whereas high-GI foods have an index of 70 or more.

Further detail

• Examples of low-GI foods include:

  • seed loaf
  • rye bread
  • legumes
  • baked beans
  • sweet potato
  • some fruits
  • salad vegetables

• Examples of high-GI foods include:

  • white, brown and whole wheat bread
  • biscuits
  • sweets
  • rice cakes
  • sports drinks

• High-GI foods provide instant energy because they break down quickly during digestion and release glucose rapidly into the bloodstream.

💡 Memory Hook

Low GI releases glucose slowly; high GI releases it quickly.

📖 3. Type 1 Diabetes

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Type 1 diabetes : occurs when pancreatic cells are damaged or unable to produce insulin, causing glucose to build up in the blood.

★ Must-know

• Symptoms of type 1 diabetes include: excessive weight loss despite eating large amounts, excessive thirst or hunger, frequent urination, low energy levels, digestive problems

• Untreated diabetes can lead to: blindness, kidney disease, nerve disease, coronary heart disease, including heart attacks and strokes

📌 Type 1 diabetes is treated with regular insulin injections, a diabetic diet and sufficient exercise, and daily insulin injections are necessary to prevent death from the disease.

Further detail

• Type 1 diabetes occurs in children and young adults when pancreatic cells are damaged or unable to make insulin.

📌 Type 1 diabetes management includes lean protein, fibre-rich foods, limited saturated fat and cholesterol, carbohydrate counting and at least 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week.

💡 Memory Hook

Damaged pancreatic cells → no insulin → glucose builds up in the blood.

📖 4. Type 2 Diabetes Management

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Type 2 diabetes : the most common form of diabetes and develops when the body does not make enough insulin or cannot use the insulin it makes effectively.

★ Must-know

• Obesity and lack of physical activity are two of the most common causes of type 2 diabetes, although not every person with type 2 diabetes is overweight.

📌 Type 2 diabetes may be prevented or controlled through maintaining an ideal body weight, active living, prescribed dietary changes, exercise programmes and medicines when needed.

📌 Dietary management of type 2 diabetes includes at least three meals daily, about 60 per cent of daily kilojoules from low-GI starchy foods, soluble and insoluble fibre, limited fat and reduced protein intake to avoid kidney stress.

Further detail

• Type 2 diabetes is related to lifestyle, can occur at any age, and is most often found in older people.

• Regular exercise helps control body weight and enables the body to use insulin more effectively, which helps control blood glucose levels.

💡 Memory Hook

Obesity and inactivity → insulin resistance → poor blood-glucose control.

📖 5. Osteoporosis Prevention

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Osteoporosis : a condition in which calcium is withdrawn from bones faster than it is replaced, making the bones smaller, thinner and fragile.

★ Must-know

• Osteoporosis increases the risk of fractures, particularly in the hips, legs and wrists, and is common in older adults, especially women, although it can occur at any age.

• The most common causes of bone loss include:

  • oestrogen deficiency after menopause
  • inadequate calcium
  • inadequate phosphorus
  • inadequate vitamin D
  • smoking
  • alcohol use
  • some medicines such as cortisone

• Calcium sources include:

  • low-fat or non-fat milk
  • yoghurt
  • cheese
  • canned fish
  • legumes
  • dark green leafy vegetables

Further detail

📌 Vitamin D can be obtained from oily fish, enriched margarine, dairy products and daily exposure to the sun, while fluoride from sources such as fluoridated water strengthens bone mineral.

📌 Osteoporosis prevention includes regular lifelong exercise, avoiding smoking and excess alcohol, limiting tea and coffee, avoiding excess protein and limiting medicines that may cause bone loss.

💡 Memory Hook

Insufficient bone nutrients and harmful lifestyle factors → bone loss → fractures.

📊 Synthesis Tables

Diabetes Types Compared

Feature	Type 1 diabetes	Type 2 diabetes
Main problem	Pancreatic cells cannot produce insulin	Insufficient or ineffective insulin use
Typical occurrence	Children and young adults	Most often older people
Main management	Daily insulin injections, diet and exercise	Lifestyle changes and possibly medicine