Sugar in the spotlight this diabetes day

DIABETES is the world’s biggest killer and should be South Africa’s key concern as it is one of the fattest nations in the world.

According to Kanchana Moodliar, author of You can be sugar free, it is now known that the key factor in developing diabetes is obesity.

“Due to a lack of understanding, knowledge and general apathy, people find out when it is too late,” Moodliar said.

Latest Statistics (2012 research) showed that more than 371 million people have diabetes, half of the people with diabetes are undiagnosed, 4.8 million people died due to diabetes and more than 471 billion US dollars were spent on healthcare for diabetes.

South Africa is fast catching up to the world’s statistics. Type 2 diabetes is the most common type of diabetes. It usually occurs in adults, but is increasingly seen in children and adolescents.

There is also a condition called diabesity, a combination of obesity and diabetes. Moodliar said in type 2 diabetes, the body is able to produce insulin, but it is either not sufficient or the body is not responding to its effects, leading to a build-up of glucose in the blood.

People with type 2 diabetes may remain unaware of their illness for a long time because symptoms may take years to appear or be recognised, during which time the body is being damaged by excess blood glucose. Many people are diagnosed only when complications of diabetes become evident, such as loss of vision, numbness and amputation required, rapid weight gain, and so on.

“Key causes for developing diabetes are obesity, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress, genetics and ethnicity,” added Moodliar.

Diabetes is a preventable disease. You can be sugar free, the first of the book series, helps people understand the terms and concepts in layman’s terms. And since Indians the world over are hit hardest by the disease, the first book is entitled, Indians vs Diabetes.

There are a growing number of people adopting the Indian diet due to taste, but people need to be made aware of how the food can be prepared to ensure the health benefit matches the taste.

The follow up books are, Kids vs Diabetes and Blacks vs Diabetes, as each of these groups are affected in different ways.

In support of World Diabetes Day on 14 November there are numerous activities going on around the globe to ensure that people get tested and understand what’s at stake.