Diabetes Epedemic

[rexpotter]

Diabetes in Thailand (2021)

52,223,500

Total adult population

11.6% prevalence of diabetes in adults 6,066,600 Total cases of diabetes in adults

 

Diabetes in Thailand (2024)

This number has doubled from 2021, pushing the total number of diabetes patients in Thailand to 3.3 million, DDC's deputy director-general Dr Direk Khampaen said.

[rexpotter]

1 minute ago, rexpotter said:

Diabetes in Thailand (2021)

 

52,223,500

 

Total adult population

11.6% prevalence of diabetes in adults 6,066,600 Total cases of diabetes in adults

 

 

 

Diabetes in Thailand (2024)

This number has doubled from 2021, pushing the total number of diabetes patients in Thailand to 3.3 million, DDC's deputy director-general Dr Direk Khampaen said.

 

 

Sounds like more than doubling. Heartbreaking really.

Edited April 8 by rexpotter
Tables and italics

[rexpotter]

Understand, I gathered data from various sources and had to copy and paste tables, so it may not be 100% correct.

 

Its terrible for me to watch this unfold not only here, but all of these SE Asian countries.

[Ratel Snake]

20 minutes ago, rexpotter said:

Diabetes in Thailand (2021)

 

52,223,500

 

Total adult population

 

11.6% prevalence of diabetes in adults 6,066,600 Total cases of diabetes in adults

 

 

 

Diabetes in Thailand (2024)

This number has doubled from 2021, pushing the total number of diabetes patients in Thailand to 3.3 million, DDC's deputy director-general Dr Direk Khampaen said.

 

 

 

The joy of capitalism and its endless creativity when it comes to manufacture junk food and kill people.

 

"No it's not capitalism! People are responsible for their actions!"

 

Yeah right....

 

[JensenZ]

1 hour ago, rexpotter said:

Diabetes in Thailand (2021)

 

52,223,500

 

Total adult population

 

11.6% prevalence of diabetes in adults 6,066,600 Total cases of diabetes in adults

 

 

 

Diabetes in Thailand (2024)

This number has doubled from 2021, pushing the total number of diabetes patients in Thailand to 3.3 million, DDC's deputy director-general Dr Direk Khampaen said.

 

 

It's nonsense that it has doubled in 3 years... if some numbers have doubled, it's only because the detection of existing diabetes has doubled, not the actual number of people with it. Where are your sources? You shouldn't post things like this without references.

 

The numbers would be much higher if they tested every person in Thailand. More people would be pre-diabetics and diabetic without knowing it than people who have been positively diagnosed. A lot of people reading this don't know they are diabetic because, in the early stages, you won't notice the symptoms. Most people who find out they have it are advanced and have been pre-diabetic or diabetic for many years.

 

Diabetes Type 2 is a complex disease and is hard to quantify. What tests did they do? 

[bendejo]

High Fructose Corn Syrup and Diabetes

 

Quote

Here are some surprising sources of high fructose corn syrup (and some not so surprising):

Medicines: Cough Syrups, Allergy Medications
Beverages:Soda, Sport Drinks, Juice “Cocktails”
Snacks:Yogurts, Candy Bars, Crackers, Breakfast Bars, Cookies
Condiments: Ketchup, BBQ sauce, Marinades, Steak Sauce, Salad Dressings, Cranberry Sauce, Pickles,
Pasta Sauce, Stuffing Mixes and Cereals

 

 

 

[mstevens]

5 hours ago, JensenZ said:

Diabetes Type 2 is a complex disease and is hard to quantify. What tests did they do? 

 

I always understood the diagnosis of diabetes was easy with an A1C test.

 

An A1C below 5.7 is normal. 5.7 - 6.4 is pre-diabetes. 6.5 or higher is diabetes.

[thaibeachlovers]

Not surprising. The amount of sugar consumption in LOS has to be too high.

I've been in rural stores where every food item was full of sugar.

I know what sugar does as I'm pre diabetic from eating far too much of it myself. Gave up most sugar and lost 10 kg and not progressed to full diabetes.

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, JensenZ said:

A lot of people reading this don't know they are diabetic because, in the early stages, you won't notice the symptoms. Most people who find out they have it are advanced and have been pre-diabetic or diabetic for many years.

I had no symptoms of my pre diabetes till the GP did a blood test.

[JensenZ]

8 hours ago, mstevens said:

 

I always understood the diagnosis of diabetes was easy with an A1C test.

 

An A1C below 5.7 is normal. 5.7 - 6.4 is pre-diabetes. 6.5 or higher is diabetes.

It's only a guide and an average of the glucose levels over the last 2 - 3 months, and athletes or very active people process red blood cells faster and can get irregular readings... too high or too low depending on how they eat.

 

A higher-than-normal reading is a good starting point to analyze an individual's glucose metabolism. One example - you can have higher spikes after meals but lower average readings and lower fasting levels, giving lower HbA1c values, but you can still have a problem. There are a lot of different problems within the scope of insulin resistance. The constant monitoring devices are the gold standard of testing.

 

There is a problem with using blood glucose levels for diagnosis too. For example, for years I've had high fasting levels from pre-diabetic (low 100 mg/dl) to diabetic levels (over 126 mg/dl). I can exercise and make dietary changes that will show me to be normal. I've had perfectly normal HbA1c levels below 5.0. I could be tested and diagnosed as perfectly normal, but I am not. I have insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance.

 

In the early stages of diabetes, you can control your glucose levels to be in the normal range - and people think this means they are cured. A C-peptide test will help to determine an individual's insulin production. A person's resistance to insulin and its production are key to determining if you are diabetic.

[ignis]

16 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I had no symptoms of my pre diabetes till the GP did a blood test.

So true, Maybe every person going to a Dr or Hospital should have a blood test ? maybe more are these days = record numbers of so say new cases ?

 

Myself 1991 visited the Dr on a number of occasions + had a Opp in Hospital 3 day stay, about a month later visited the Dr about a different ongoing matter, one look said I had advanced yeast infection so test were done, yep I was Diabetic, likely been so for years.

 

Back then did not know anything about Diabetes, these days more people are aware of it as are Dr's so run checks 

[JensenZ]

2 minutes ago, ignis said:

So true, Maybe every person going to a Dr or Hospital should have a blood test ? maybe more are these days = record numbers of so say new cases ?

 

Myself 1991 visited the Dr on a number of occasions + had a Opp in Hospital 3 day stay, about a month later visited the Dr about a different ongoing matter, one look said I had advanced yeast infection so test were done, yep I was Diabetic, likely been so for years.

 

Back then did not know anything about Diabetes, these days more people are aware of it as are Dr's so run checks 

Definitely, since 2020 with covid, more people have been tested, inflating the statistics.

 

I'm not sure if the doctors in Thailand will mention anything if the levels are only pre-diabetic. I know in Australia doctors will tend to say you have insulin resistance if you are in the pre-diabetic range. The reason is simple. If the "diabetic" word is used, that's a red flag for health insurance policies.

[rexpotter]

Yes, they test more these days, like I said when I posted this, it is not accurate but that was not the point. Don't shoot the messenger. Go to any mall, and watch the fat little kids waddling around with their overweight mothers searching for the next ice cream or donut shop. Try to buy any snack at 7-11 or anywhere really and it is loaded with sugar. Its a crime. It should be restricted how many of these junk food outlets are allowed in any sguare meter in any retail center.

When I first arrived 25 years ago, there were not fat people here. And the Thai's I worked with did not like sweet anything, they liked healthy food.

I wonder what is going to happen with all of this? they can't put 30% of the population on Ozempic. And Asians do not look good overweight.

[newbee2022]

18 hours ago, rexpotter said:

Diabetes in Thailand (2021)

 

52,223,500

 

Total adult population

 

11.6% prevalence of diabetes in adults 6,066,600 Total cases of diabetes in adults

 

 

 

Diabetes in Thailand (2024)

This number has doubled from 2021, pushing the total number of diabetes patients in Thailand to 3.3 million, DDC's deputy director-general Dr Direk Khampaen said.

 

 

And your point is😱??

Fat, no sports, too much sugar, did you expect something else???🥱

[Jaggg88]

10 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Not surprising. The amount of sugar consumption in LOS has to be too high.

I've been in rural stores where every food item was full of sugar.

I know what sugar does as I'm pre diabetic from eating far too much of it myself. Gave up most sugar and lost 10 kg and not progressed to full diabetes.

Men should consume no more than 9 teaspoons (36 grams or 150 calories) of added sugar per day. For women, the number is lower: 6 teaspoons (25 grams or 100 calories) per day. Consider that one 12-ounce can of soda contains 8 teaspoons (32 grams) of added sugar! American Heart Association.

 

Thais consume 24 teaspoons a day on average plus they now eat the American diet, which is high in fat, high in sugar, high in carbs and low in fibre. 

[Tazmo]

Don’t forget the sugar in alcohol! Just as harmful.

And in countries where alcohol is banned, except for a special license, like the Middle East. Diabetes was or still is the highest in the world.

They eat more sweet stuff during Ramadan, breaking their fast with a feast. Some eat all night, until daybreak, especially those in traditional areas, where they do not work during Ramadan, restaurants including Mac D are all closed!
I am sure that India is not far behind!

It is said to be ‘ familiar’ ( occurs in families) as opposed to genetics?

[tomazbodner]

Good discussion on sources of sugar but.... actually sugar isn't the main cause of diabetes.

 

Type 1 is an auto-immune disease where the immune system produces anti-bodies which attack the beta cells in pancreas that produce proinsulin, which breaks down into insulin and c-peptide. The beta cells over time die off and are unable to produce any more insulin, hence patients generally require insulin injections, usually both the long release daily dose and additional doses before meals of short release insulin. To check if someone has type 1 diabetes, a c-peptide test is performed, and reading below 1.6 is considered beta cells are failing, and obviously 0 means they've failed completely. Usually antibody test is performed as well, and if positive, there's no hope of them recovering, although it's also very rare to see pancreas recover after failing for other reasons. Most people diagnosed with type 1 are young, up to mid 20s, although there are some cases where it develops later in life. It is not caused by sugar, but rather allergens found in some foods, most often quoted was cow's milk.

 

Type 2 is insulin resistance. Meaning there is insulin in the body, but cells can't use it to absorb glucose from blood. Again, while sugar and carbohydrates cause spikes in glucose, they are not the main reason for insulin resistance, which often can be reversed (increasing insulin sensitivity), and there are several quite successful programs for it, which include cutting out fats, blaming them for "clogging" cells and therefore starving them of energy. Type 2 diabetes patients are generally very slim, although they consume large amount of foods. Improving sensitivity to insulin can lower the glucose levels without medication, although it requires significant lifestyle changes, where many people rather take medication like Metmorfin, or even resort to insulin injection.

 

There are several more types, but above 2 are most talked about. Still, it's quite important to know that regardless of sugar, especially refined one, and processed carbohydrates that very quickly turn into glucose, are not good for you by any stretch of imagination, they are not the main causes of diabetes. Other lifestyle choices and foods are, however.

[tomazbodner]

10 hours ago, Tazmo said:

It is said to be ‘ familiar’ ( occurs in families) as opposed to genetics?

Sometimes too much emphasis is put on genetics. Sometimes answers are very simple. Parents do something that is harmful without realising it. Their children do the same as that's what they've learned from parents. Their children again do the same... so by doing same thing, causing same conditions, they all end up with the same diseases. But that's not genetic. It's inherited lifestyle.

[rexpotter]

On 4/9/2024 at 10:55 AM, JensenZ said:

It's only a guide and an average of the glucose levels over the last 2 - 3 months, and athletes or very active people process red blood cells faster and can get irregular readings... too high or too low depending on how they eat.

 

A higher-than-normal reading is a good starting point to analyze an individual's glucose metabolism. One example - you can have higher spikes after meals but lower average readings and lower fasting levels, giving lower HbA1c values, but you can still have a problem. There are a lot of different problems within the scope of insulin resistance. The constant monitoring devices are the gold standard of testing.

 

There is a problem with using blood glucose levels for diagnosis too. For example, for years I've had high fasting levels from pre-diabetic (low 100 mg/dl) to diabetic levels (over 126 mg/dl). I can exercise and make dietary changes that will show me to be normal. I've had perfectly normal HbA1c levels below 5.0. I could be tested and diagnosed as perfectly normal, but I am not. I have insulin resistance and impaired glucose tolerance.

 

In the early stages of diabetes, you can control your glucose levels to be in the normal range - and people think this means they are cured. A C-peptide test will help to determine an individual's insulin production. A person's resistance to insulin and its production are key to determining if you are diabetic.

Interesting. Wonder why some folks eat like crap and still never get it.

[noobexpat]

On 4/9/2024 at 10:27 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

I had no symptoms of my pre diabetes till the GP did a blood test.

 

Did you have a mirror and progressively tighter trousers?

 

No need for blood test. Common sense!

[JensenZ]

1 minute ago, rexpotter said:

Interesting. Wonder why some folks eat like crap and still never get it.

There is a genetic aspect too. Some people are genetically disposed to it. For example, 

black adults in the U.S. are 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes.

 

However, I'd like to see some evidence that people who "eat like crap" all their lives will never get type 2 diabetes. It is an interesting question.

[sirineou]

No surprise that Diabetes incidence are skyrocketing, and not only in Thailand, but in Thailand moreso. 

I have stopped buying many of the street foods that I used to enjoy because they are loaded with sugar. Many of them taste like desserts. 

A few months ago, maybe more,while shopping at Makro is saw Hunts plain spaghetti sauce. I thought I was familiar with the brand and got some for when I make home made pizza and am too lazy to make my own sauce,. After I made the pizza it tasted sweet, and I was confused,.

I usually put a little bit of sugar when I proof my yeast, just to wake it up, so I am thinking maybe I made a mistake and put too much, But i was sure I had not, And then I tasted some of the remaining sauce in the can , and boy was it sweet!  Now I am not sure if Hunts has changed their recipe (but I don't think so) ,or of they have a special recipe for export to south east Asia. 

 

 

[noobexpat]

16 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

Sometimes too much emphasis is put on genetics. Sometimes answers are very simple. Parents do something that is harmful without realising it. Their children do the same as that's what they've learned from parents. Their children again do the same... so by doing same thing, causing same conditions, they all end up with the same diseases. But that's not genetic. It's inherited lifestyle.

 

Agreed. You see fat parents and they all have fat kids.

Almost inevitable.

[rexpotter]

3 minutes ago, JensenZ said:

There is a genetic aspect too. Some people are genetically disposed to it. For example, 

black adults in the U.S. are 60% more likely than white adults to be diagnosed with diabetes.

 

However, I'd like to see some evidence that people who "eat like crap" all their lives will never get type 2 diabetes. It is an interesting question.

When I say eat like crap, its loosely said. I mean they don't do all of the super healthy things that we know these days promote good health.

[rexpotter]

5 minutes ago, sirineou said:

No surprise that Diabetes incidence are skyrocketing, and not only in Thailand, but in Thailand moreso. 

I have stopped buying many of the street foods that I used to enjoy because they are loaded with sugar. Many of them taste like desserts. 

A few months ago, maybe more,while shopping at Makro is saw Hunts plain spaghetti sauce. I thought I was familiar with the brand and got some for when I make home made pizza and am too lazy to make my own sauce,. After I made the pizza it tasted sweet, and I was confused,.

I usually put a little bit of sugar when I proof my yeast, just to wake it up, so I am thinking maybe I made a mistake and put too much, But i was sure I had not, And then I tasted some of the remaining sauce in the can , and boy was it sweet!  Now I am not sure if Hunts has changed their recipe (but I don't think so) ,or of they have a special recipe for export to south east Asia. 

 

 

Same!  Shopping at Makro. Kewpie mayonnaise. I bought a few bags of it, as I have relied on this Japanese product for quality for many years only to find it was 6% sugar...I can hardly eat it..WTF?

[sirineou]

4 minutes ago, rexpotter said:

Same!  Shopping at Makro. Kewpie mayonnaise. I bought a few bags of it, as I have relied on this Japanese product for quality for many years only to find it was 6% sugar...I can hardly eat it..WTF?

I stop buying Mayo.

My sister showed my how to make and I was amazed hoe easy it was, 

2 eggs , Oil , a teaspoon of vinegar, or lemon .a pinch of salt and a bit of mustard,. Whip for less than a min with a stick blender , and you have Mayo. Leave it plain, or add any spice you like,. I like a bit of wasabi.

I was amazed how easy it was . Wish I knew that all y life,

If you don't already know how to make it, serch YouTube, plenty of videos. 

[rexpotter]

16 minutes ago, sirineou said:

I stop buying Mayo.

My sister showed my how to make and I was amazed hoe easy it was, 

2 eggs , Oil , a teaspoon of vinegar, or lemon .a pinch of salt and a bit of mustard,. Whip for less than a min with a stick blender , and you have Mayo. Leave it plain, or add any spice you like,. I like a bit of wasabi.

I was amazed how easy it was . Wish I knew that all y life,

If you don't already know how to make it, serch YouTube, plenty of videos. 

Is it really that easy?

 

[sirineou]

5 minutes ago, rexpotter said:

Is it really that easy?

 

I was surprised too. 

 

[Smokin Joe]

11 hours ago, Tazmo said:

Don’t forget the sugar in alcohol! Just as harmful.

And in countries where alcohol is banned, except for a special license, like the Middle East. Diabetes was or still is the highest in the world.

They eat more sweet stuff during Ramadan, breaking their fast with a feast. Some eat all night, until daybreak, especially those in traditional areas, where they do not work during Ramadan, restaurants including Mac D are all closed!
I am sure that India is not far behind!

It is said to be ‘ familiar’ ( occurs in families) as opposed to genetics?

 

There is no sugar in alcohol. The juice or soda in a mixed drink may have plenty of sugar in it, but alcohol is sugar-free.

 

Not good for you, but has nothing to do with sugar.

[PeterA]

On 4/8/2024 at 10:06 PM, bendejo said:

High Fructose Corn Syrup and Diabetes

The biggest culprit in Thailand is most likely RICE and noodles. It is not just sugar, it is also carbs. Rice is loaded with carbs.

I know, I have type 2 and have studied extensively. At the hospital, after my 3rd month on  medications and insulin, I had not needed insulin since the 1st week. All by diet altering. The Docs said all the other patients there, none had been able to lower their sugar. They keep eating the same foods, pump more insulin into their bodies and nothing ever changes. 
Not exercising, being overweight, eating tones of rice, is normal for the older people, who never visit McDonalds or drink coke, or eat junk food. So you can't blame it on that. In the cites it maybe somewhat different, but not here in the countryside.

On 4/8/2024 at 10:06 PM, bendejo said: