Dr Adewole Adesanya, Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, Kogi State has warned that skipping breakfast regularly pose high risk of diabetes.
Adesanya said this in an interview on Monday in Lokoja on the sidelines of this year’s World Diabetes Day (WDD).
Diabetes is often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus.
It describes a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both.
He said that people who formed the habit of willingly skipping their breakfast in the morning were exposing themselves to the risk of diabetes.
He advised that people should eat more of high fibre food such as yam, bread with a lot of vegetables rather than food with high concentration of sugar.
“People should eat healthily with more intakes of fruits such as cucumber, tomatoes, carrots and garden egg and small portion of apple, pawpaw, banana and watermelon, especially diabetic patients.
“Diabetic patients must take good care of themselves, adhere strictly to instructions of their physicians, dieticians and check their blood sugar level regularly.
“We must make sure we do everything possible to reduce and maintain a normal weight, regular exercises, and eat a balanced diet to prevent diabetes,’’ the expert said.
He noted that diabetes does not have a known cure for now except the so-called pancreatic transplant of the lacking insulin, but could be effectively managed.
“There are four types of diabetes.
“Type 1 is common in younger age below 30, type 2 is most prevalent diabetes for all ages, and gestational diabetes which mainly affects pregnant women.
“The classical symptoms of diabetes are excessive water intake and urination, excessive eating and losing weight, weak erection, recurrent boils and infections, miscarriages and still birth, among others,’’ Adesanya said.
He appealed to government at all levels to sensitise the public through their awareness programmes on the importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
“The Federal Government should subsidise insulin and metforme in order to assist the patients in their treatment due to its high cost.
“The general public must be adequately sensitised on its early signs, detection, possible preventions and treatment to reduce the risk of serious complications.
“For every two people that have diabetes, there is one person that is not known; that is, 1 in 2 people currently living with diabetes is undiagnosed.
“We are all stakeholders on public awareness of diabetes; let us inform our friends, families, co-workers and neighbours to help achieve massive individual screenings by participating in our Test2Prevent initiative.’’
World Diabetes Day is marked annually on November 14, to raise awareness on the disease.
The theme focuses on the importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and treatment so as to reduce the risk of serious complications.
Meanwhile, Dr Ogugua Osi-Ogbu, Consultant Physician Geriatrician at the National Hospital, Abuja, says regular screening for diabetes is crucial in ensuring early diagnosis and treatment, thereby reducing the risk of serious complications.
Osi-Ogbu said this on Monday in Abuja in commemoration of the World Diabetes Day.
According to her, diabetes is a common chronic condition where the body cannot convert enough blood sugar (glucose) into usable energy.
She said diabetes was a growing burden in the country and a multi-systemic disease that was not curable, but highly controllable hence the need for early diagnosis.
“Screening for diabetes complications is an essential part of managing all types of diabetes.
“One in two people with diabetes remains undiagnosed, which makes them particularly susceptible to the complications of the condition, causing substantial disability and premature death.
“Delayed diagnosis means that many people with type 2 diabetes will suffer from at least one complication by the time they are diagnosed with diabetes.
“Some of such complications are blindness, stroke, kidney failure and amputation of the lower-limb,’’ she said.
The consultant said that early detection and timely treatment of diabetes could prevent vision loss and reduce the impact of the disease on individuals, their careers and society at large.
Osi-Ogbu said 70 per cent of type 2 diabetes cases could be prevented or delayed by adopting healthy lifestyle, stressing that maintaining life style recommended by a physician is key in managing the condition.
“The management of diabetes involves a lot of education for the patients and their care givers particularly on eating habits like qualitative food such as fruits, vegetables and less of starch.
“Lifestyle modification such as dieting and compliance with medication is indeed a big part of the management of diabetes in all patients.
“We recommend complex starches like yam, potatoes which goes through a break down process compared to drinking a bottle of coke which the sugar goes quickly into the blood stream.
“I tell my patients, you have to confront this disease like a general at war,’’ the consultant added.
Osi-Ogbu further described diabetes as a metabolic condition that could result from a reduction of the insulin level in the blood.
She said excessive blood glucose in diabetic patients produced symptoms like frequent urination, excessive thirst, hunger and weight loss.
However, she noted that Type 1 diabetes was more common in children, stressing that the body immune system gradually destructs insulin producing cells of the pancreas.
The consultant listed symptoms of Type 1 diabetes as extreme thirst, blurred vision and infections, among others.
She added that Type 2 diabetes was predominantly a lifestyle disorder and was highly associated with obesity, lack of exercise, unhealthy diet or due to family history.
The nutritionist also advised those susceptible to diabetes to avoid excessive alcohol intake and abstinence from smoking.
Osi-Ogbu stressed that the screening and management of diabetes and its complications in all primary healthcare centres across the country was important in achieving optimal health and a healthy society.
The 2016 World Diabetes Day has its theme as “Eyes on Diabetes’’.
It seeks to promote the importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and treatment to reduce the risk of serious complications.
