Beware of Two Types of Foods: Potential Threats to Pancreatic Islet Health

In our dietary life, fats and oils play a pivotal role. As the old saying goes, "People are made of iron, meals are made of steel, and fats and oils are the lifeblood." However, not all fats and oils are beneficial to our bodies. Among various lipid components, trans fatty acids can be regarded as the "number one enemy" of the pancreatic islets and are the "hidden saboteurs" lurking in our diet.

Trans fatty acids do not occur naturally in large quantities. They are mainly found in margarine, creamer, and various processed foods. Common foods we like, such as potato chips, fragrant fried chicken, delicate and attractive cakes, and sweet milk tea, may all be the "habitats" of trans fatty acids. The main reason why merchants add trans fatty acids is to improve the taste of food, making it more delicious and appealing, and at the same time, to extend the shelf life of food and increase the sales cycle of products.

Once trans fatty acids enter the human body, they start to "cause trouble" like a runaway wild horse. They can have an adverse impact on the body's metabolic system. Most crucially, they reduce the sensitivity of cells to insulin, thereby triggering insulin resistance. The emergence of insulin resistance makes it increasingly difficult for the body to control blood sugar, and the original normal blood sugar regulation mechanism is disrupted. Relevant studies show that the risk of type 2 diabetes in people who consume trans fatty acids for a long time is more than 40% higher than that of ordinary people. This data is truly alarming. For diabetic patients, the harm of trans fatty acids is even worse. Therefore, it is essential to keep in mind: try to eat less fried foods, pastries, milk tea, and other foods rich in trans fats, reduce the damage of trans fatty acids to the pancreatic islets, "unbind" the pancreatic islets, allowing them to "work" normally and maintain the body's normal blood sugar regulation function.

In addition to trans fatty acids, high - fructose foods are also objects that diabetic patients need to be highly vigilant about, and can be regarded as the "overload pressurizers" of the pancreatic islets. For diabetic patients, nothing is more feared than blood sugar out of control, and high - fructose foods are one of the "masterminds" behind blood sugar out of control. Fructose, just by its name, may seem like a "sweet and harmless" character, but in fact, it is not. Different from glucose, fructose can be directly metabolized by the liver without the help of insulin after entering the human body. This is a characteristic of fructose metabolism. However, when an excessive amount of fructose is consumed, problems follow one after another. Excessive fructose will be rapidly converted into fat and accumulate in the liver, thus triggering fatty liver. The appearance of fatty liver will further lead to insulin resistance, making the body's response to insulin sluggish, blood sugar difficult to control effectively, and may even induce type 2 diabetes.

Both trans fatty acids and high - fructose foods have non - negligible harms to pancreatic islet health and blood sugar control. Whether it is diabetic patients or healthy people, we should raise awareness of these two types of foods, reasonably adjust the diet structure, and try to reduce the intake of trans fatty acids and high - fructose foods, protect our pancreatic islet health, maintain the normal metabolic function of the body, and prevent the occurrence of metabolic diseases such as diabetes.