“I’M afraid I can’t eat that, I have diabetes,” said two people to me recently at a birthday reception, both refusing to touch the sweet desserts they used to devour.

This disease has become increasingly prevalent as our lifestyles change. It is particularly linked to diet and exercise habits, according to a retired physician.
“Fatty junk foods are now eaten abundantly and people also overeat. There is also a lack of exercise, which, combined with a poor diet, leads to higher occurrence of diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure,” he said.

Diabetes is a disease characterised by serious disturbances of metabolism due to a deficiency of insulin and can occur in people of all ages, he said.
“There are two types of diabetes – type-1 (insulin-dependent-diabetes) and type-2 (non- insulin-dependent-diabetes),” he said.

Type-1 diabetes, which usually begins before the age of twenty, occurs when the pancreas fails to produce insulin, usually following a chest infection such as pneumonia.

Type-2 diabetes, which generally begins around the age of 40, is the form usually associated with lifestyle.

“With type-2 diabetes, weight gain and physical inactivity cause the pancreas to produce insufficient amounts of insulin, which is needed to convert blood sugar for energy. So glucose builds up in the blood stream and excreted in the urine,” he said.

He said that diabetes is, at first, largely symptom-free and can sneak up on the patient without warning. It is a dangerous disease if the patient does not take appropriate treatment.

But can diabetes be controlled? The answer is yes.

People can control their diabetes by being aware of the early signs – excessive appetite, blurred vision, weight loss, fatigue, extreme thirst, frequent and large volume of urination – and seeking a diagnosis if they exhibit any symptoms.
The physician said one step diabetics should take is to reduce their intake of rich carbohydrate foods, such as rice and potato.

“Rice is staple food for Asians. A healthy adult Myanmar can eat an average of seven cups of rice each day but for a diabetes patient it shouldn’t eat more than four. Instead they should consume fish, low fat meat, dairy products and legumes to get the 1800 calories a person needs each day,” he said.

He also said exercise promotes good health and reduces negative effects of diabetes.

“Walking at a brisk pace for 30 minutes can reduce blood cholesterol, lowering the risk of clogged arteries, hypertension and a number of other serious problems,” he said.

Ma Thi Thi, a 43-year-old diabetic, said that working in her garden for two hours a day helps alleviate her symptoms and leaves her feeling healthier.

“I take some spare time to water the plants in my compound. As well as tending to the plants, I feel like I’m tending to my health – it really works.” She also said it was important to have good eating habits and an appropriate exercise routine to avoid developing diabetes.

“I opened a boutique and spent most of my time sitting down and I would drink about five bottles of carbonated beverages a day. I started suffering blurry vision about three years ago so I got a medical check up and the results showed I had diabetes,” she says.

The physician said it was important the community understood the symptoms, causes and treatment for diabetes, particularly the preventable type-2 form, as it is an “expensive, troubling and dangerous disease”.

Diabetic person should have a well-balanced diet, good exercise routine and take regular medical check up at least six month a year.