Why diabetes is on the rise

Obesity and sedentary lifestyle seen as main culprits

Is it true that the number of diabetics worldwide is rising fast? Why is this so? What can I do to avoid developing diabetes? I am a 35-year-old office worker who is currently healthy. —arlene_lz@gmail.com

Yes, diabetes mellitus is on the rise. In its first Global Diabetes Report, the World Health Organization (WHO) says that between 1980 and 2014, the number of adults with diabetes quadrupled from 108 million to 422 million, globally. In 1980, the percentage of adults with diabetes was only 4.7 percent. At present, it stands at 8.5 percent. In the Philippines, rate is at 5.8 percent (5.5 percent of males and 6.1 percent of females).

But what has caused this worldwide diabetes epidemic? Mainly two factors: overweight/obesity and sedentary lifestyle. The global rise in diabetes cases mirrors the global increase in the number of people who are overweight or obese. Latest statistics (2014) reveal that almost one in four adults, over 18 years, is overweight and more than one in 10 are obese. Figures (2010) also show that nearly a quarter of adults are “insufficiently physically active.”
image: http://www.mb.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/diabetes-300x170.jpg

diabetes

Diabetes is a highly fatal disease. The WHO report mentions that worldwide, diabetes had killed 1.5 million people in 2012 alone. Diabetes currently accounts for six percent of all deaths in the Philippines. The complications of diabetes, which are offshoots of the persistently high blood sugar level, result in death and disability. Complications include damage to the blood vessels of the extremities, heart, and brain that leads to poor healing of wounds; heart attack and stroke; injury to the kidneys that ultimately causes kidney failure; impairment of the immune system that leads to susceptibility to infection; damage to the eyes that results in blurring of vision and blindness; and nerve damage that results in muscle weakness and reduced sensation.

There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 1, which accounts for five to 10 percent of diabetes cases, usually arises in childhood. It occurs when the body’s defense (immune) system turns awry and attacks and destroys the cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, which accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of diabetes cases, typically arises in adulthood.

At your age, it is type 2 diabetes that you should guard against. Some of its risk factors like age, genetics, and ethnicity are not modifiable, but a few, such as diet, weight, and physical inactivity, are. Hence, you can prevent diabetes or, at least, delay its onset by maintaining a desirable body weight, adhering to a proper diet, and becoming physically active.

If you are overweight, reduce to and maintain the correct body weight through diet and exercise. Proper diet, on the other hand, simply refers to a balanced diet that is high in fiber and healthy fats, and low in simple sugars. Becoming physically active, meanwhile, does not mean you should adhere to a structured exercise program. You can be active enough by adopting simple lifestyle changes such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, doing household chores regularly, walking or biking in going to and from the neighborhood grocery store instead of driving, etc. Make sure though that these activities lead to palpable physical exertion and add up to more than 30 minutes per day. medical_notes@yahoo.com









collected by"http://www.mb.com.ph/why-diabetes-is-on-the-rise/: