Diabetes, Prevention And The Way Forward

The pancreas is an organ responsible for the production of two hormones known as insulin that gets the blood sugar down and glucagon that gets the blood sugar level up as well as digestive enzymes trypsin and chymotrypsin, which serve to break down peptide bonds in the protein you eat.

What can go wrong with the pancreas is when there is an excessive intake of bread, cereal, alcohol, pasta, cakes,  refined sugar, pizza and as a result damage the beta cells of the pancreas.

According to the World Health Organisation definition, Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (Diabetes type 1 or Insuli-dependent) or when the body can not effectively use the insulin it produces. (Diabetes 11). Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood glucose. Hyperglycaemia, also called raised blood glucose or raised blood sugar, is a common effect of uncontrolled diabetes and over time leads to serious damage to many of the body’s systems, especially the nerves and blood vessels.

In 2014, 8.5% of adults aged 18 years and older had diabetes. In 2019, diabetes was the direct cause of 1.5 million deaths, and 48% of all deaths due to diabetes occurred before the age of 70 years. Another 460 000 kidney disease deaths were caused by diabetes, and raised blood glucose causes around 20% of cardiovascular deaths (1).

Between 2000 and 2019, there was a 3% increase in age-standardized mortality rates from diabetes. In lower-middle-income countries, the mortality rate due to diabetes increased 13%.(Statistics from WHO).

The rate at which diabetes is increasing globally and Nigeria in particular should be a concern to the three protagonists, individuals, communities, and the government.

Another report from the World Health Organisation indicates that the prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria stands at 4.3 per cent.

The International Diabetes Federation Diabetes Atlas, in its 10th publication, estimates that approximately 6.7 million adults between the ages of 20- 79 have died of diabetes or its accompanied complications in 2021.

There are a number of factors that can be attributed to the causes of diabetes which include,  unhealthy lifestyle, cigarette smoking,  unhealthy dietary habits,  old age,  family history, excessive consumption of processed and refined foods and  genes.

Unhealthy dietary habits are probably one of the biggest causes of diabetes.  Nowadays,  many people combine foods with soft drinks, beer, and energy drinks. They can’t stay a day without consuming a bootle of beer or carbonated drinks.

 Wrong cooking habits such as adding too much graluated sugar to yam, beans, and excessively consuming processed sugar in your meal such as garri, custard, and pap may be a factor to the development of diabetes.

The health challenge most people face today, especially diabetes is the consequences of decades of eating, excessive junk, and not living an active life. Even many people who have taken multiple medications for years in treating their diabetic symptoms can improve their health issue by changing their diets.

Hypocrites, the father of medicine 400 years BC, did not mention diabetes in his writings but clearly stated that let food be your medicine and your medicine be your food. This is an indication that diabetes is a  mordem disease and also a lifestyle disease.

The worrying situation is that about 80% of diabetes cases in Nigeria are only diagnosed after the patients went for medical check as a result of other complications such as heart diseases, vision loss, related heart diseases, nerve damage, or erectile dysfunction.

Diabetes symptoms include feeling very thirsty frequently, Constant urination, especially at night, blurred vision,

feeling tired and losing weight unintentionally.

Healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight, and avoiding tobacco use are ways to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.

Eating healthy simply means avoiding junk and processed foods, whereas living healthy means exercise regularly,  periodic medical check up, be social and maintain a positive and active life, and .create time for relaxation.

Pancreatic malfunction is often a downstream result of gallbladder malfunction. Therefore,  treat your gallbladder.  A patient suffering from diabetes type 1 should avoid foods containing gluten completely.

Diabetes type 2 patient should avoid foods reach in carbohydrates and fats. They should eat more vegetables,  especially scent leaves and bitter leaves. Both should be squeeze at equal proportion with water and drink a glass cup once daily. Prepare a tea with a handful of mistletoe leaves and an average colocynthis citrus ( bitter apple) and drink a glass cup daily.

Exercise regularly and maintain a moderate weight.