There are a number of health issues that Indians are battling with, but in recent years, diabetes has emerged as one of the most worrying diseases for the Indian population.
Currently, there are for instance 75 million people in India who suffer from diabetes and it could go up to 134 million in next few years.
On World Diabetes Day, Dr. Bhaumik Shah talked to SBS Gujarati about the causes for the disease and how to prevent it by implementing small changes into the daily lifestyle.
Diabetes is a chronic illness where a person's body is unable to control its blood glucose levels and this can ultimately lead to kidney failure, heart disease and blindness.
Dr. Bhaumik Shah said, "Diabetes depends on a person's lifestyle and sometimes it due to genetic susceptibility. These two are the major factors that increase the chances of diabetes.
The chances of contracting diabetes among Indians are very high compared to the people from western countries as it depends on their genetic influence and background.
Body Mass Index (height-weight ratio) is often used as a risk calculator for diabetes. BMI of 25 or lower is a cutoff after which chances of diabetes increases but this is not true for people of Indian and other Asian countries.
Risk for Type-2 diabetes among Asians and Indians increases at a lower BMI of 23.
Lifestyle play crucial role
People are now relying more on fast food and the presence of high quality of fats and carbohydrates in this type of food leads to diabetes.
Modern lifestyle where people drive rather than walk and work long hours sitting down at their desk is also responsible for health conditions obesity and diabetes.
"Sitting for hours in one position without any physical activity at the work place is a major contributor to developing diabetes in the young adult group,” said Bhaumik.
Prevention and early detection of diabetes
Even though diabetes is a genetic disease, it can be prevented well before it happens. People need to start taking care of their health.
"The early symptoms of diabetes are very subtle and can easily be missed." said Bhaumik.
Early symptoms include:
- Unexplained tiredness
- Having to urinate more often
- Feeling thirsty frequently
- Blurring of vision
Ways to prevent diabetes
Diabetes can be prevented by adjusting just a few things in daily life. Dr Bhaumik says, "People do not need to dedicate proper time for exercise. A little bit of physical activity on a daily basis can help in preventing the disease
- Split your weekly grocery shopping so you can walk to the shops
- Skip the elevators or lifts and take stairs
- Park your car few blocks away
- Drink water regularly
- Cook more meals at home
