\n
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nA number of doctors are warning of a skin condition that could signal your diet may be too high in sugar, which can lead to type 2 diabetes.<\/p>\n
According to the 2024 National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2021 data found that 38.4 million Americans of all ages had diabetes, with 90 to 95 percent of them having type 2.An additional 8.7 million adults aged 18 years or older met the criteria for diabetes but were either unaware or did not self-report having it. <\/p>\n
Type 2 diabetes is a common disease that occurs when \u201cthe body cannot use insulin correctly and sugar builds up in the blood,\u201d per the Mayo Clinic. <\/p>\n
However, \u201chigh insulin usually doesn\u2019t cause symptoms you can feel right away, and that\u2019s what makes it tricky,\u201d chief medical advisor for Sleepopolis, Dr. Raj Dasgupta, MD, told Parade<\/em>. <\/p>\nOne major, yet often overlooked, sign that your body is struggling with high glucose levels is the development of acanthosis nigricans \u2014 dark patches on the skin.<\/p>\n
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Excessive sugar intake can cause acanthosis nigricans, a skin condition commonly caused by high blood glucose (Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThese patches are more prone to develop on the skin at the nape of your neck, armpits, groin area, and under the breasts.<\/p>\n
While there are other causes of acanthosis nigricans, including genetics and, in rare cases, cancer, increased insulin levels are one of the most common contributors. <\/p>\n
\u201cEating too much sugar raises blood sugar levels, prompting an increase in insulin to bring those levels down,\u201d Dr. Samantha Brand, DipABOM, additionally explained to the publication. \u201cInsulin also activates certain skin cells that have insulin receptors.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added: \u201cWhen insulin levels are persistently high \u2014 in those with insulin resistance or prediabetes \u2014 it can overstimulate both melanocytes and keratinocytes, leading to increased production of melanin and keratin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis results in thick, dark, velvety patches of skin, called acanthosis nigricans.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to note that prediabetes, the stage before type 2 diabetes, can often be reversed. If you are worried you might be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, there are several key lifestyle changes you can implement, including regular exercise, cutting back on processed foods, managing stress levels, and losing weight. <\/p>\n
Still, if you happen to develop type 2, it\u2019s crucial to maintain a healthy lifestyle to help manage symptoms and prevent further complications. <\/p>\n
Although it\u2019s typically believed that type 2 is also reversible, \u201cremission\u201d is the more accurate term. <\/p>\n
\u201cType 2 diabetes remission is when your long-term blood sugars fall below the diabetes level and stay there for at least three months, without the need for glucose-lowering medication. By bringing your blood sugars into a non-diabetes range long term, the symptoms of diabetes and any new damage it can do to your body are on pause,\u201d Natasha Marsland, senior clinical advisor at Diabetes UK, told the Press Association <\/em>in 2024. <\/p>\n\u201cRemission doesn\u2019t mean your diabetes has gone away forever, as your blood sugar levels can rise again \u2014 and we don\u2019t call it \u2018reversing type 2 diabetes\u2019 because remission isn\u2019t a cure for type 2 diabetes. You still need to attend regular check-ups and get the support you need to treat or manage any existing complications.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more A number of doctors are warning of a skin condition that could signal your diet may be too high in sugar, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. According to the 2024 National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2021 data found that 38.4 million Americans of all ages had diabetes, with 90 to 95 percent of them having type 2.An additional 8.7 million adults aged 18 years or older met the criteria for diabetes but were either unaware or did not self-report having it. Type 2 diabetes is a common disease that occurs when \u201cthe body cannot use insulin correctly and sugar builds up in the blood,\u201d per the Mayo Clinic. However, \u201chigh insulin usually doesn\u2019t cause symptoms you can feel right away, and that\u2019s what makes it tricky,\u201d chief medical advisor for Sleepopolis, Dr. Raj Dasgupta, MD, told Parade. One major, yet often overlooked, sign that your body is struggling with high glucose levels is the development of acanthosis nigricans \u2014 dark patches on the skin. Excessive sugar intake can cause acanthosis nigricans, a skin condition comm…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7270,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7280"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7280\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7270"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}