Beat diabetes with proper food, says expert

RIYADH: Obesity is increasing in the Kingdom at an alarming rate and it will eventually lead to diabetes causing renal, cardiac, dental and eye diseases, said a senior official at a Riyadh-based company.
Vikrant Shrotriya of Novo Nordisk was speaking to Arab News about this year’s WHO theme, “Beat Diabetes,” to mark the World Health Day on Thursday.
“The theme is a timely choice, since there are 350 million diabetics in the world and this is expected to be doubled by 2040, and the world spends some $673 billion to treat and prevent the disease,” he said, pointing out that the deaths cause by diabetes is much more than any other disease in the world.
Nearly 1.5 million people die of diabetes every year, according to WHO.
“One in every 11 persons become a victim of the disease,” said Shrotriya. “It is a silent killer if not properly treated.”
Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which leads over time to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves. The most common is type 2 diabetes, usually in adults, which occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or does not make enough insulin.
Shrotriya said the mission of the WHO Diabetes Program is to prevent diabetes whenever possible and, where not possible, to minimize complications and maximize quality of life. “Our core functions should be to set norms and standards, promote surveillance, encourage prevention, raise awareness and strengthen prevention and control,” he said.
Spelling out the figures, Shrotriya said that around 40 percent are estimated to be obese in the Kingdom and some 3.48 million people are affected by the disease and a large number are yet to be diagnosed. He pointed out that 20 percent of the 20-to-79 age group of the Saudi population are victims of the disease.
It is estimated that there is some 5.6 million diabetics in the GCC and the countries on the top are Kuwait, Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia, he said.
The Ministry of Health, he said, is doing its best to control and treat the disease. “The people also should cooperate by changing their life style to avoid and control the effects of the disease in the Kingdom,” he said. “They should be careful of their food and should get of out their sedentary life and involve themselves in regular physical exercises and follow medical advice.”