Diabetes is hereditary, under certain conditions it manifests. Some of those conditions are mental tension; lack of physical exercise; overeating; obesity; parity; and abuse of certain drugs.
This researcher has studied 5,000 diabetic cases over the past 5 years to identify the risk factors. His long experience in hospital set-up can camps has helped him to study the above aspects in detail. These 5,000 cased are all drawn from the South Indian states.
The most vital risk factor for diabetes is ‘hereditary’ (46%), followed by Mental tension (24%) and lack of physical exercise (8.1%). The other factors found to be striking are over eating, and obesity.
In the light of these findings, the people must be educated on the following principles: The risk of hereditary factors is more in the children of consanguineous marriages.
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‘Mental Tension’ is the second leading cause of diabetes, and the people must be educated on the principles of ‘diffusion of mental tension’. A typical case of this kind has been recent observed in Guntur of Andhra Pradesh.
The ‘Lack of Physical Exercise’ is found to be the major cause for diabetes among high income groups, sedentary occupations, and white collared job holders. Further, due to unbanisation, mechanisation and improved transport facilities, the onset of diabetes continues to increase in the urban areas.
As the ‘food production’ and ‘purchasing power’ of the people have increased, the intake of refined foods has steadily risen resulting in the development of diabetes. Hence, people have to be advised to take more of vegetable, pulses, and high fiber containing cereals like wheat, ragi, etc., and to minimise the use of animal fats, sweets, sugar, ice creams and other fast foods.
‘Multi parade’ has greater risk of developing diabetes and hence this theme must be integrated with family welfare programme, and people should be educated to limit the family size, to reduce the risk of getting diabetes.
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Certain drugs like corticoid steroids used in Bronchial asthma and arthritis, ‘Histamine 2 Blockers’ used in peptic ulcer are mostly diabetogenic.
The obvious symptoms indicating the manifest of diabetes are: (1) excess hunger; (2) unquenchable thirst; (3) copious urination; (4) sudden loss of weight; (5) fatigue; (6) pain all over the body, including genital organ; (7) giddiness; (8) pain all over the body, especially in joints; (9) diminished vision; (10) Tingling and numbness at the finger and the toe tips; and (11) possible impotency in men.
Diet forms the prime and vital step in dealing with diabetes. One need not break once used traditional dietary pattern. A note of caution must be sounded. A diabetic should not resort to fasting on any count since fasting lowers the blood sugar in the system and established the vicious cycle of excess hunger, over eating, excess sugar and increasing diabetes.
Next to control diet comes exercise. One should cultivate the habit of walking for an hour at least every day. This is to be observed as regularly as brushing ones teeth. Active hobbies like gardening and games can be adopted are possible.