diet drinks make people obese ~ Diabetes becoming epidemic

If you are above 40 ~ in the group of friends,  the discussion on health and more specifically on whether you are afflicted by ‘……..’ is bound to happen !  …. It is no disease but only a ‘disorder’ - One need to adapt a controlled way of living …. Sounds simple – when practised – life will be normal, ---- and ask those affected, how difficult is to control temptation [and not to yield to it !] …. Outwardly people will look normal – they can be of various walks of life; could be the most educated too…. still, given a chance of being alone in a party – they would jump to take more than the usual share of jamuns, lick ice-cream and more……some will say an additional dose of medicine will take care..

It is ‘Diabetes mellitus’  or simply diabetes [colloquially sugar] - a metabolic disease in which a person has high blood sugar, either because the pancreas does not produce enough insulin, or because cells do not respond to the insulin that is produced. For some of those affected, it is a daily struggle ~ others too strive hard to keep things under control, for, uncontrolled blood sugar puts people at risk for a range of dangerous complications, some short-term and others longer term, including damage to the eyes, kidneys and heart. Managing diabetes is too important.

Newspaper reports reveal that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal recently underwent 12-days of naturopathy treatment at Bengaluru for chronic cough and diabetes. “Cough gone, sugar under control. Feeling fresh and fit. (I) am excited to return to resume work,” Kejriwal tweeted before leaving for Delhi. The 46-year-old AAP leader was discharged from Jindal Nature Cure Institute on the outskirts of Bengaluru where he was admitted on March 5 and returned to Delhi around 8 pm on Monday.

Diabetes could become a global epidemic affecting one in 12 adults around the world cries this report in MailOnline.  Diabetes is 'epidemic' with 400 million sufferers worldwide: Number with condition set to soar by 55% within 20 years unless humans change way they eat and exercise. Researchers estimate 382million people suffered from diabetes in 2013; at current rates number of sufferers globally could be 592 million by 2035 .  In China and India 10 per cent of adult population suffer from the condition and this  compares to the global average of 8.3 per cent, according to study published in the journal Pharmaco Economics. Around 10 per cent of sufferers have type 1 diabetes – an auto-immune disorder that is usually present from childhood. But the other 90 per cent have type 2 diabetes – an illness driven by a sedentary lifestyle and poor diet.

The study, published in the journal Pharmaco Economics, cites data from the International Diabetes Federation estimating that 8.3 per cent of adults aged 20 to 79 now suffer from diabetes. Mr Seuring and his colleagues analysed the impact on increasing number of diabetics on the economies of 20 countries. They found that increased healthcare costs and reduced workforce productivity could severely dent economic growth. Charity warns diabetes is becoming a 'UK health emergency'.  He said: ‘People in the UK with diabetes experience an income loss of £887 per year. But it is carers in the UK who are the worst hit financially, with a reduction in income of £1327 annually.’

There is a tendency to take ‘Diet Coke’ ‘diet Pepsi’ ‘zero coke’ and other sugar free drinks and sugarfree chocholates and sweets by those afflicted.  Another report in Daily of the Science Reporter threatens that ‘Over-65s who drink fizzy low-calorie drinks every day increase their waist size by three inches over a decade’. Those  who regularly have diet drinks in later life are more likely to develop a pot belly, research suggests. This was more than four times as much as pensioners who said they never had diet drinks.

A large waist size is thought to contribute to a higher risk of heart problems, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Experts say fat that gathers around the middle produces more dangerous chemicals and is closer to the body’s vital organs than that on the bottom, hips and thighs. Over ten years, University of Texas scientists followed 749 pensioners from the age of 65, tracking their diet, weight and waist size. The research, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, found that those who did not consume diet drinks saw their waist size increase by 0.80 inches during the study, while those who had them occasionally gained 1.83 inches.  Those who drank a can a day saw their waist size increase by 3.16 inches.

The study did not explore the reasons behind the link - and critics point out that those who drink diet products are more likely to be predisposed to obesity. The burden of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, along with healthcare costs, is great in the ever-increasing senior population. People in their old ages want weight reduction and commonly believe that diet soft drinks will help to reduce the calorie intake.

Confusing to say the least !

With regards – S. Sampathkumar 18^th Mar 2015. Photo : http://svthw.org/