Page 15 - DIVA_2_2007_No.29

nonnal blood glucose tliere are fewer oppornuiities yori cadi do
levels. to discover tliat you liave dia- to prevent
betes. type 1. For
Q: What are the first type 2i
symptoms of diabetes? Q: What can ordinary tliere are
people me myself do tn preventive
Type I diabetes risually lias order to prevent diabetes? measures :
quite pronounced symp- physical
toms and signs - tlmst, fre- For example, yori drove here activity;
qrient and copious ruina- in yorir car. Yorir office is 111 a in t a i-
tion, marlced weiglit loss, witl'iiii walkiiig distai'ice and i'iing lieal-
fatigue. Witliorit treatinent if yori liad walked, tliat worild tl'iy body
tliis progresses to loss of liave been a preventive mea- weiglit; or Q: Why did you start
consciousness, coma and srire. Ideally, if one corildpre- hyiiig to lose tlie weiglit working with diabetes?
death. vent beiiig ovei'weiglit and tliat yori liave accrumila-
obese and pliysically inacti- ted, but tliat it extremely Almost by cliance I got
Unfortunately, tlie symp- ve, one miglit prevent rip to difficult due to orir lifesty- involved iii diabetes-related

toms of type 2 diabetes are 60 or evei'i 70oA of all diabe- le. We have an increasiiig researcli as a medical stu-

rarely vexy pronoruiced and tes cases. Tliere are not many dependence on going qriic- dent. I went on to worlc as a
diabetes is often diagnosed studies available, but tlie data kly from one place to aiio- "diabetes doctor", a diabe-
only wlien people suffer available go iii tliat direction. tlier risiiig transpoit-not tologist, and I canied orit
one of its many serioris It is vei-y likely tliat more tlian walliig, not cycling, no daily clinical work in
complications. Tlie most 50% can be prevented. pliysical activity, etc. Croatia. I was also involved
con'unon complications Neveitlieless, some people in researcli and later beca-
affect blood vessels; people worild still get diabetes type I Tlffs is a gliinpse of wliat me more iiiterested iii tlie
suffer a lieart attack, end rip diabetes, tl'ie aritoinumuie sliorild be done and liow to public liealtli aspect of dia-
in hospital and then actually process tliat destroys tlie pan- prevent diabetes, but it is betes.
find out tliat tliey liave creas cells. Tliere is no not veiy easy to do.
diabetes. Or rinliealing foot laiown prevention for type I Q: What does WHO do in
ulcers and gangrene requir - diabetes. Q: You talked about a this field?
ing a limb amputat'on - tl'iis healthy diet. What
is also a frequent complica- Q: Is type l diabetes should parents do in We liave a project called

tion of diabetes. Many per- hereditary? order to prevent obesity Diabetes Action Now, witli
sons witli diabetes lose their among their children? tlie aiin to create awareness
eyesiglit. If people's eye- Botli types of diabetes do aborit diabetes. We collabo-
siglit deteriorates, tliey will liave a genetic component, Encornage pliysical activi- rate and condrict several
consult a doctor and find but tliat it is not enorigh for ty and intake of fi'esli fruit joiiit projects witli tlie Jar-

out tliat they liave diabetic triggei'iiig tlie ilhiess. Tliere and vegetables, less of tlie gest runbrella NGO, tlie
changes iii tlieir eyes. Tliey lias to be sometlffng else. Tlie lffgh-caloiy sugai'y di'inks Intei-national Diabetes
liave probably liad diabetes nrunber of people witli diabe- or replace tl'iem witli a Federation. What we do
for several years, but becari- tes lias been iiicreasiiig so fast lower-caloi-y alternatives. most is to hy to u'+crease
se tlieir blood sugar lias iii recent decades tliat tlus Even thorigli tl'ie really awareness aborit diabetes in
never been measired they cannot be explaiiied by clian- sweet ones inigl'it be more low- and middle-income
were unaware of it. So tliat ges iii tlie poprilation genetic appealing, rmsweetened coruih'ies, especially among
is one aspect of diabetes-it profile becarise tliese would fiuit juice lias fewer calo- tlie general priblic and tlie
does not really hrut until it take IIIIICII longer. For type 1 ties and is veiy palatable. policy-makers, becarise
h'iggers complications. Tliat diabetes, we do not laiow Water sliould not be for- tliese are tlie ones WIIO
is wliy it is often called tlie wliat tliat "sometlmig else" is. gotten as a tlie best tl'mst- coruit. The liealtli professio-
"silent killer". People can Tliere liave beeii studies tliat qrienclier, and sliorild not nals are already aware of
sometimes feel tired, but liave looked at tlie role of be freqriently replaced by tl'ie magiutude of tlie pro-
they tend to attribute it to viiuses, toxiiis iii food and di'ii'ilcs tliat are packed witli blem, becarise tliey see tlie
stress, ovei'work or a recent water, lack of breast feediiig calories wliicli will not be conseqriences every day.
flu. in infancy, early rise of cows' rised rip but will accum- We also do a lot of norm-
milk in ii'ifant nuh-ition. All of nuilate as body fat. You do ative WOI'k, SIICII as settiiig
In developed countries these potential rislc factors not notice tliat yori liave noi'i'iis and standards. We
many people liave regular have been iiwestigated, but iiigested a large amount of answer qriestions like -
healtl'i clieck-ups, during tliere are no conclusive and calories wliile drinking What is diabetes? Where is
wliicli tlieir blood sugar will definitive answers. At tliis sugaiy soft diiiiks, and it is tlie diagi'iostic cut-off point?
be measured. hi inaiiy otlier point we cannot say tliat tliere son'ietimes almost tlie How is diabetes classified?
countries, people will not are any measures for preven- caloric equivalent of a How many types do we
go to the doctor if tliey do ting type 1 diabetes. So, at plate of spaglietti... liave? New researcli is

not feel any syinptoms and tliis poiiit, there is not mucli constantly bringing new
5 2006 Diva 13

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