Fighting diabetes in 3 simple steps

The threat of diabetes is very real and is still rising.

But one can address this by managing blood sugar response, maintenance of a healthy weight and waistline, and supporting heart health, said Abbott Nutrition medical director Dr. Jose Rodolfo Dimaano Jr. He gave the advice during the “Ask the Diabetes Expert” forum organized by Abbott Nutrition Philippines on April 30.

Dimaano and Philippine Thyroid Association vice president and University of Santo Tomas Hospital chief of endocrinology and metabolism Dr. Sjoberg Kho presented to the media the current state of diabetes and new methods to manage it.

Expensive to manage

Dimaano said “Overall diabetes management is essential for people with diabetes to help reduce the risk of short- and long-term complications.” Kho added that lifestyle changes, especially in terms of dietary and physical activity—or inactivity, which is the case most of the time—will help greatly in diabetes management.

Diabetes is not only expensive to manage but it is also “economically impairing,” since it affects people who otherwise could have done a lot of things, especially at work but are limited by the disease, Kho said. He then exhorted the media to “make noise” and urge everyone to have themselves checked for it. “A lot of diabetics are diagnosed [with the disease] late, usually four to five years, leading to dire consequences,” Kho addea.

Diabetes mellitus, or diabetes, refers to a group of diseases that affect the body’s use of blood glucose, commonly called blood sugar, an important source of energy for the cells making up the muscles and tissues.

Diabetes has often been in line with and worsens other comorbid conditions such as coronary artery and peripheral vascular disease, stroke, diabetic neuropathy, amputations, renal failure and blindness, and leads to increased disability, reduced life expectancy and enormous health costs worldwide.

Diabetic figures

According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), in 2013 the number of diabetic adults reached a total of 380 million, and that in 2035 the number can rise to over 592 million.

In the country, according to IDF, diabetes has already affected the lives of 9.7 percent of the adult population as of 2012; the number tends to double if 12.5 percent of Filipinos at-risk of diabetes with impaired glucose tolerance are added. Combined, one out of every five Filipino adults or an estimated 11 million has either prediabetes or diabetes.

The Department of Health has even declared that diabetes as the eighth top cause of disease-related death in the country in 2009, with cardiovascular diseases  accounting for approximately half of all diabetes fatalities.

Filipinos are considered at high risk, according to the “Type 2 Diabetes Practical Targets and Treatments” of the Asia Pacific Type 2 Diabetes Policy Group, since their diet is accustomed to high levels of sugar content, especially in their staple meals which include rice, bread, sweet potato and corn. Kho added that factors such as an aging population; unhealthy diet, especially those of Western-style fast food; overweight or obesity; and a sedentary lifestyle contributing to this trend.

Recommended program

Dimaano recommended the Glucerna 1-2-3 Challenge, a 12-week program especially designed to help diabetics create a program that incorporates meal plans, exercise with step-by-step instructional videos, and specialized nutrition products such as Glucerna, a specialized nutrition product of Abbott for people with diabetes. It provides tracking tools and progress reports so they can monitor their progress that they can share with their doctors.

Through programs such as the Glucerna 1-2-3 Challenge, Abbott Nutrition hopes to make big impact on diabetics and their health.