A 40-year-old woman, whose case was shared by Dr. Lin Yi-hsin, head of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Tai-An Hospital, on 18/1, had adopted an extreme fruit-only diet for weight loss. She replaced both breakfast and lunch entirely with fruits and salads, often consuming one large box of fruit in the morning and up to seven different types of fruit for her midday meal. Although she lost 10 kg in just one month, experiencing a false sense of fullness from the high fiber content, her health deteriorated significantly.

Clinical examination revealed the patient's blood sugar had surged to 600 mg/dL, resulting in diabetic ketoacidosis, a severe medical emergency with a mortality rate of up to 15%. Dr. Lin explained that the excessive intake of fructose, abundant in fruits, significantly raises blood sugar levels.

Illustration: Tasting Table

The patient's family history of diabetes placed her at high genetic risk. Her prolonged adherence to an unbalanced diet acted as a "trigger," leading to the early onset of diabetes and its rapid progression into acute complications. This critical condition required her to undergo intensive treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) for several days.

Dr. Lin also emphasized the significant role of genetic factors in type 2 diabetes, alongside environmental influences. Medical research shows that children have up to a 70% risk of developing the condition if both parents are affected, a figure that decreases to approximately 40% if only one parent has a history of the disease. Nevertheless, the timing of onset and the severity of the illness are heavily dependent on daily lifestyle and nutritional habits.

Following a treatment regimen of insulin, fluid replacement, and a strict dietary overhaul, the patient's blood sugar levels gradually stabilized, leading to her discharge from the hospital.

By Binh Minh (According to China Times)