People with diabetes have trouble controlling their blood sugar, he explains. “Blood glucose accumulates in the body and that damages veins and nerves. This leads to cardiovascular diseases. Those diseases in particular have a huge impact on life expectancy and we see that reflected in the figures.”
Door a previous study It has already become clear that almost 1.2 million Dutch people suffer from type 2 diabetes. The number is expected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040. The costs of treating these people would also increase from 6 billion euros in 2020 to 8 billion euros in 2040.
Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and is relatively less common than type 2, which is often the result of an unhealthy lifestyle and being overweight. The Diabetes Fund therefore calls on the food industry and politicians to help tackle this. A sugar tax cannot be ruled out, says Vandeberg. People themselves can also contribute to a healthier life, he emphasizes.
Artificial pancreas is fully tested
The good news, he says, is that there are more and more hopeful studies on treatments for diabetes. There has recently been a big investigation announced with an artificial pancreas invented by a diabetic patient.
The artificial pancreas consists of a glucose meter and a pump. The meter monitors the sugar value. If it is too high, the pump will deliver insulin. If the sugar value is too low, the pump releases glucagon. Both of these hormones regulate blood sugar levels.
Robin Koops designed the artificial pancreas in his shed. The device received a European quality mark last year:
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