Diabetes on the rise due to several factors
June 17, 2011, 9:31 pmBy Don Asoka Wijewardena
Diabetes has been on the rise in Sri Lanka due to several factors. Excessive intake of sugar-based products, kidney impairment and lack of exercise among adults and children have become the root causes of diabetes.
Diabetic patients are required to refrain from unhealthy food habits and timely medical attention should be sought to prevent the disease further. These observations were made by Diabetes Prevention Task Force Convener and Chairperson of the Sub-Committee on Non-Communicable Diseases, SLMA Prof. Chandrika Wijeratne at a media conference held at Hotel Cinnamon Grand recently.
Prof. Ms. Wijeratne said that prevention was better than cure because for diabetes, medical science had not found an effective treatment so far, but it could be controlled. When a person contracts diabetes, the person’s blood sugar level would go up and the production of insulin would stop.
She pointed out that the affected person had to be injected with insulin to maintain a normal metabolic system. The person also would have to urinate several times a day. Diabetes had also affected school children in the country with more students detected with diabetic.
Prof. Ms. Wijeratne added that some parents were in the habit of allowing their children to consume more sugar-based food items and artificial beverages. Today the intake of natural food was ignored by a majority who prefer sugar-based food items. Diabetes was a disease that brought on many diseases and the Health Ministry had to spend a great deal of money for drugs
She said that the lack of exercise was another cause to contract diabetes because most obese persons were diabetic. Sri Lanka could work towards important aspects of prevention and control of diabetes if natural lifestyles and natural food habits were practised.
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