Don’t be a mug: beat diabetes

[webfact]

Don’t be a mug: beat diabetes

By The Nation

 

 

One of the biggest scourges of modern times and one that can be almost entirely blamed on lifestyle, mainly diet and lack of exercise, is the prevalence of diabetes.

The figures tell the story. In 2015, there were 415 million diabetes patients worldwide and this number is projected to increase to 642 million in 2040 with more than five million dying from the disease. Thailand too has witnessed an increase in cases and in fatalities: from 3.2 million in 2009 to 4.8 million in 2014 and mortality rising from 14.93 to 17.83 people per 100,000 population between 2013 and 2015

 

Type 2 diabetes is the most common type and happens when the body does not make or use insulin well, resulting in glucose remaining in the blood. That glucose is found in 95 per cent in Thai diabetes patients and is mostly detected in the overweight and the obese.

 

By taking care of themselves and controlling their blood sugar through diet and exercise, diabetics will help to prevent complications and decrease spending on medication.

 

These days, rather than the simple pinprick blood test, clinicians prefer to measure glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) so as to get an overall picture of what our average blood sugar levels have been over a period of weeks/months. The result is used as the measurement of diabetes patients.

 

The term HbA1c refers to glycated haemoglobin. It develops when haemoglobin, a protein within red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body, joins with glucose in the blood, becoming “glycated”.

 

HbA1c is also referred to as haemoglobin A1c or simply A1c.

 

In Thailand the HbA1c target for people with diabetes to aim for is less than seven per cent, which will help diabetics avoid the risk of complications such as kidney failure.

 

However, only 35.6 per cent of diabetes patients are able to bring the A1c to the target of seven per cent.

 

Senior Colonel Associate Professsor Apussanee Boonyavarakul, director of medicine at Phramongkutklao hospital, emphasises that the cases will carry on rising unless we learn how to control our diet, food intake and lifestyle.

 

She adds that even though the new generation of insulin approved by FDA is more effective than earlier drugs in decreasing the hypoglycaemia effect, it should only be prescribed if patients are willing to make the effort to change their lifestyle. Learning more about diabetes at www.dmthai.org

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/lifestyle/30327263

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-09-21

[yellowboat]

Part of beating the disease is drinking enough water.

[phantomfiddler]

Is it OK if said water is surrounded by beer ?

[avander]

I have Type 2 diabetes and due to their use of sugar in all things in Thailand plus me not getting enough exercise my pin prick tests shot up after a couple of years here to 11 or 12!  I used to just take metformin but since the levels shot up the doctors added Glipizide to the list.

I go to the doc here every 4 months for a checkup, blood tests and prescription meds. 

The thing I find weird about my BSL is that my long term average is now only 5.8 HbA1c but the pin prick tests I do average about 7.6-7.8.  Not sure how that works?

Edited September 21, 2017 by avander

[JHolmesJr]

I strongly suggest switching to a Keto diet if you have diabetes…..you basically keep your daily carb intake to 20gms or less. And switch to eating larger amounts of good fat and moderate proteins…along with as many low carb hi fibre  veggies as you can handle within your carb allowance. Your body will not need insulin any more as it will move  from producing glucose (glycogen) to  fat (ketones) for fuel.

 

I can guarantee you your symptoms will disappear in matter of months and you'll feel much better…..and you'll love what you can eat.

[nausea]

White rice with everything doesn't help, bug**rs up blood sugar levels.

[JHolmesJr]

7 minutes ago, nausea said:

White rice with everything doesn't help, bug**rs up blood sugar levels.

 

white rice….potatoes…..bread (any kind)….pasta…..to the body it's all the same…..sugar.

[BuaBS]

Is sugar really that bad ? In a couple of years another study will tell us that sugar is good , just like fat .

I eat cristal sugar with a spoon , because it is easy , quick , delicious , doesn't rot or go bad , clean and cheap , 23 B/kg.

Not much else to snack on between meals here in Thailand.

Had my blood checked twice ( at home) , no problem at all.

[yellowboat]

9 hours ago, phantomfiddler said:

Is it OK if said water is surrounded by beer ?

Depends on the alcohol content.  In China, where beer has 3% by volume, quite possibly. Use to have three large bottle then wonder why I needed to drink water. 

[ignis]

9 hours ago, avander said:

I have Type 2 diabetes and due to their use of sugar in all things in Thailand plus me not getting enough exercise my pin prick tests shot up after a couple of years here to 11 or 12!  I used to just take metformin but since the levels shot up the doctors added Glipizide to the list.

I go to the doc here every 4 months for a checkup, blood tests and prescription meds. 

The thing I find weird about my BSL is that my long term average is now only 5.8 HbA1c but the pin prick tests I do average about 7.6-7.8.  Not sure how that works?

Not at all sure what good the pin prick test tells you

 

If you wake up at the same time every day then maybe is good....... Me can go back 18 months as keep a chart on my PC...  if i wake up at 03:30 the reading is around 110.. wake up at 05:30 the reading is around 150, wake up at 07:30 the reading is around 200...    Oddly this morning woke up at 04:45 and the reading was 91...

 

Last month Tests 6.1 HbA1c at the Hospital. down from 7. tested 3 months before.. next test 26 December

 

Edit: My UK Dr put me on 'Glipizide'  over 20 years ago, here the Diabetic Dr said it is bad medicine and took me off them... 

Edited September 22, 2017 by ignis

[KarenBravo]

9 hours ago, JHolmesJr said:

 

white rice….potatoes…..bread (any kind)….pasta…..to the body it's all the same…..sugar.

Yes.........and no.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a few years back.

I bought a BG tester with strips and used it for before and after (two hours) after eating normal size portions of each.

No problem eating brown bread, or potatoes, but, rice and pasta sent my BG thru the roof.

I eat rice and pasta sparingly and only eat the whole wheat varieties. 

 

Yet, a friend of mine, also with type 2 can eat them all except for rice. Seems to be very individualized as to what affects BG and what doesn't so much.

I also take Janumet 1000g/50g, one tablet twice a day.

[dick dasterdly]

It can also be a 'chicken and egg' situation as I always used to be v slim, even though I didn't exercise.  Around the age of 35 I v slowly started putting on weight, although by then I WAS getting a fair amount of exercise (cycled 7 miles a day to work and back/walked my dog twice daily) - plus I was vegetarian and (not having a sweet tooth), ate v few sugary foods.

 

Over a few years I went from v slim to overweight and was finally diagnosed as insulin resistant (hence the weight gain) - entirely thanks to having private health insurance and insisting that my GP (who was uninterested and clearly thought the weight gain was due to over eating/age  ) refer me to a specialist..... 

[Currumbin]

4 hours ago, KarenBravo said:

Yes.........and no.

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a few years back.

I bought a BG tester with strips and used it for before and after (two hours) after eating normal size portions of each.

No problem eating brown bread, or potatoes, but, rice and pasta sent my BG thru the roof.

I eat rice and pasta sparingly and only eat the whole wheat varieties. 

 

Yet, a friend of mine, also with type 2 can eat them all except for rice. Seems to be very individualized as to what affects BG and what doesn't so much.

I also take Janumet 1000g/50g, one tablet twice a day.

The problem is that the liver processes the carbs into sugar when you are asleep releasing sugar into the body so that during the 8 hour or so that you are asleep your blood glucose level does not fall to a dangerous level. That is why you can have a high BSL of a morning after eating carbs the previous day/night.