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Sci Tech
Fear, not awareness is the key
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This generation is feasting all the time on calorie rich food with little or no exercise to burn calories. This deadly concoction has produced 23 million diabetics and put many more at risk.
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Exercising can delay and at times even prevent the onset of diabetes.
THE FIGURES are out and this time it is official. Yes, believe it or not, one in every eight individuals in India is a diabetic. The revised WHO figures for the year 2000 is 23 million diabetics in India. If this figure is not alarming then consider this: the percentage of vulnerable individuals goes up if the high-risk group of those with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) is also taken into account. IGT number is 14 per cent in the population studied. The results are based on National Urban diabetic survey undertaken in six cities. Nearly 12,000 persons were sampled.
And brace yourself for one more shocking piece of information. Diabetes is no longer a disease afflicting the older population. On the other hand the average age for the onset of diabetes here is hovering around 40 years while it is around 55 years in other countries. In other words the shadow companion who will never desert you will be yours for years. Help is at hand though. The frightening trend can be put on a reverse gear right away. And all that is required is the will power to change one's lifestyle in terms of food habits and burning calories on the exercise mat. Changing one's lifestyle overnight is easier said than done you may argue. But gentlemen, the benefits you reap far outweigh the sacrifices and difficulty you may have put yourself through. Remember, tackling diabetes will help tackle blood pressure, cardiac problems and obesity, to name a few.
It is worth it as saying no to junk food and exercising daily helps keep not only diabetes but also other diseases at bay. This is particularly true in the case of IGT persons as the onset of diabetes can be delayed considerably and at times even prevented with changed lifestyle. "Carbonated drinks, fast food and fat rich food only help put on weight. And increasing obesity increases the risk of becoming diabetic at an earlier age," said Dr. Anil Kapur, Vice President (International Operations), Nova Nordisk India Private Ltd.
Carbonated drinks are plain empty calorie drinks and do not meet the water requirement of the body. Worse, this easily digestible drink only makes the person thirst for more. But the problem goes beyond junk food and calorie intake. "This generation is onto fast food. It is feasting all the time and that too on calorie rich food with little or no exercise to burn the extra calories," Dr. Kapur noted. Stress is another factor. And the effect of this deadly concoction is already there for everybody to see — growing number and earlier onset of diabetes.
Body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio are conventionally used to assess a person's obesity level. Very small changes in this ratio can have telling effects on the propensity to become diabetic (Type II). For instance when it increases from a normal BMI of 22.5-23 to 24 it can make a person vulnerable to the disease, according to Dr. Kapur. Similarly, small changes in the waist hip ratio can increase the risk remarkably. Normal ratio is less than 0.8 in the case of women and 0.9 in men.
The population feasting on junk food is well aware of the risks yet continues with the food habits. So what use is awareness in instilling a sense of discipline in food habits and burning calories? "Awareness and knowledge cannot change one's behaviour, be it eating habits or exercising. It can at the most only sensitise an individual," Dr. Kapur comments. "It is fear and only fear that can change a person's lifestyle." Fear can come when one falls prey to the disease or sees a close relative at an advanced stage suffer.
Physicians have a major role to play in detecting diabetic persons earlier. At present no physician checks for blood sugar the way blood pressure is checked when a person with family history of diabetes, overweight and above 40 years of age visits a doctor. Pathetically in many cases the person is identified as diabetic only when the fasting blood glucose level is around 190 when the normal is way down at 120. "This is typically because diabetic symptoms do not show itself the way cardiac symptoms do. So a person can go undiagnosed for as long as 5-6 years," Dr. Kapur explained.
If physicians have a role to play can the government be far away? "Changing lifestyle is not an easy task. So price the junk food the way cigarettes are priced. And also make the healthy food like whole-wheat products cheaper than its counterparts. The changeover can be dramatic," challenged Dr. Kapur. Ironically today the healthy food is costlier than the junk food (same product). Is the government game for it?
R. Prasad
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