The unexpected culprit in her kitchen

To understand what caused her condition to deteriorate so quickly, doctors examined Liang’s eating habits — and discovered a surprising culprit: soy sauce.

According to her family, Ms. Liang loved to cook and used soy sauce in almost every dish. She even poured extra for dipping at meals.

While soy sauce is made from soybeans and grains and contains some nutrients, it’s also extremely high in salt. Excess sodium can disrupt the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, especially for people with or at risk of diabetes.

High sodium intake affects insulin secretion, preventing glucose from being properly absorbed. Over time, this leads to dangerously elevated blood sugar levels — and can accelerate the progression of diabetes.

Doctors warn: limit these three types of foods

From Liang’s case, doctors have issued a strong warning: people with diabetes, or anyone at risk, should strictly limit the following types of food to avoid dangerous complications.

1. High-sugar foods
Soft drinks, candies, sweet fruits like lychees, longans, and watermelons, and dried fruits all contain large amounts of sugar. These cause insulin levels to drop while blood sugar rises rapidly, making diabetes harder to control.

2. Refined grains
Processed grains lose most of their vitamins, minerals, fiber, and protein. Because they have a high glycemic index, refined grains can cause blood sugar to spike, forcing the body to produce more insulin — which increases the risk of diabetes.

3. High-fat meats and dairy products
These foods are rich in saturated fat, which increases the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The American Diabetes Association recommends that saturated fat intake not exceed 7% of total daily calories.

High-fat meats include beef tenderloin, lamb, pork chops, dark poultry, organ meats, fried chicken, sausages, cold cuts, and bacon.
High-fat dairy products include whole milk, cream, butter, heavy cream, and cheeses such as cheddar.