Diabetes: never lose control

After all, in the recent times, the daily life of diabetics has become a little easier. The insulin pump is a breakthrough, says Ziegler, who has a practice in Münster specializing in young diabetics. "And we have modern insulins that work faster, unfortunately not fast enough."

Quite new is also a permanently portable micro device for continuous glucose measurement (CGM), a sensor with a small needle. It measures the sugar content every three minutes, can also sound the alarm. "We hope and hope that funds will be used soon," said Ziegler. The research aims to combine the pump and the CGM in a device capable of managing the optimal administration of insulin without the patient having to do anything.

Even more and more popular smartwatches have the potential to make life easier for people with diabetes. For example, researchers at the Fraunhofer Infographic Research Institute are working on software that turns smart watches into "standby computers".

The algorithm is designed to enable rapid detection of sleep abnormalities, for example when patients with type 1 diabetes fall into hypoglycemia at night, resulting in a potentially fatal sugar coma. The smart watch with the installed software should sound an alarm in this situation and inform family members or the attending physician.

Experts also place nutrition at the heart of diabetes control. In type 2, healthy eating and exercise can help prevent and treat diabetes. In type 1, both are at least useful.

"Healthy foods must be inexpensive and unhealthy, like the more expensive candies," said Ziegler. As table sugar is consumed excessively and contained in many products, a sugar tax could be useful. "It would be important to prohibit misleading advertising aimed at children who are overweight."

Sven became a health professional when treating his diabetes. He knows exactly how long BMX cycling will affect his energy balance or the number of carbohydrate units contained in the food. "I do not feel limited, but at parties, it's clear that more than one beer out of two is not, and I can never lose control."