The highest percentage of these include youngsters and young adults, said Dr Shrikant Hegde, consultant diabetologist at Dr Mohan’s Diabetes Specialties Clinic, at a recent diabetes awareness camp held in Panjim.
“The underlying risk to these early stage pre-diabetic people stems from a family history of diabetes. The triggering risk is their lifestyle,” said Dr Hegde. Fast food or junk food habits adopted by the younger generation puts them at a higher risk of developing conditions like diabetes.
Cases to prove the point have already begun flooding Dr Hegde’s clinic. He cites the case of a 16-year-old girl from Goa who has developed Type II diabetes, a condition that usually manifests itself at a much older age.
A study being conducted to put a region-wise number on those affected by diabetes by the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) recently completed phase one of the study.
In it, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Chandigarh and Jharkhand were sampled for “Prevalence of diabetes and pre-diabetes in urban and rural India.” It was found that the weighted prevalence of diabetes was 10.4 percent in Tamil Nadu, 8.4 percent in Maharashtra, 3.5 percent in Jharkhand and 13.6 percent in Chandigarh. Pre-diabetes was however found to be 8.3, 12.8, 8.1 and 14.6 percentages respectively.
“It is the pre-diabetes that can be controlled with strict diet and a healthy lifestyle. Diabetes too is a disorder that can be controlled. It may be something you will have to live with for the rest of your life, but having a balanced diet will go a long way in helping the matter,” he said.
Green vegetables and fruits along with complex carbohydrates ‘all in moderation’ is what diabetics and pre-diabetics should consume along with 45 minutes brisk walk every day. When it comes to checking for blood sugar levels, rather than opting for the one most commonly used, Dr Hegde suggests patients to insist on the HbA1c test that gives the average blood sugar level over a period of three months. “If this value is 7 percent or less, it is indicative of good control over diabetes, anything above means lifestyle habits need a change,” Dr Hegde said.
