Page 19 - HOH

A24 HEALTH
Wednesday 27 March 2019

Pre - diabetes and diabetes

management

prevalence compared to the non- Determining insulin resistance is not
Hispanic white population. so much by the amount of body
Misunderstood as a simple sugar fat as by where the fat is located.
imbalance that can be readily In fact, one of the best predictive
corrected through medical treat- markers for insulin resistance is ex-
ment; diabetes, in fact, it is a com- cess body weight, in particular
plex medical disorder. Our com- around the waist or hips.
munities have fundamental genet- In the change from being over-
ic predisposition, made worse by weight to being obese, the liver
our social, behavioral, dietary, and becomes resistant to insulin and
lifestyle factors. The disease has se- the hormone’s ability to suppress
rious implications for vision, cardio- liver glucose production. Under
vascular health, kidney and nerve these conditions, the excess insulin
functions. Its control and preven- turns the liver into a ‘fat-producing
tion largely depends on lifestyle factory’ with all of its negative ef-
issues, including diet, weight man- fects. Once established, these dis-
agement, and physical exercise— turbances in fat metabolism are
a many-sided combination of fac- devastating to blood sugar bal-
tors that makes treatment complex ance and weight management.
and challenging Acceleration of this negative cycle
Obesity is a symbol of type II dia- and the collapse of pancreatic in-
betes. A tendency toward belly sulin production change Metabol-
fat is associated with increased ic Syndrome or Pre-Diabetes which
insulin resistance and contributes can be controlled or slowed with
to its early onset. This may explain lifestyle changes into the ever de-
why 85% of children in Aruba who teriorating health condition, Dia-
develop type II diabetes are over- betes.
weight or obese at the time of di- Get The Point! Diabetes is the one
agnosis. of the top causes of death Aru-
The pre-clinical stage (pre-diabe- ba, Bonaire, Curacao the United
tes) of type II diabetes is Metabolic States and Europe. From a study
Syndrome or Syndrome X. Meta- I conducted on Aruba and then
bolic syndrome is a collection of published I was invited to lecture
changes in your body that prog- to an international scientific group
ress silently over a period of years. of experts on the prevalence
The critical change is increased of Insulin resistance and related
By: Dr Carlos Viana resistance to insulin, the hormone metabolic features, I presented
that suppresses liver glucose out-
facts and treatment options. Op-
put and removes excess glucose tions that showed improvement in
from the blood. symptoms and on blood tests from
Here in Aruba, as in most modern ever, controlling your blood sugar Your body is making the insulin, lifestyle changes such as drinking
societies, everyone knows some- levels and preventing diabetes but the insulin in not available to more water, using a metabolic or
one who has diabetes. The World type II can only be managed by your cells to convert glucose to blood type diet, daily supplements
Health Organization estimates that you energy. We know that virtually ev- and regular exercise. If you are in-
by 2025, the number of people with eryone who develops type II dia- terested in getting your sugar un-
diabetes will reach over 300 mil- As a medical anthropologist I know betes starts with insulin resistance. der control, read my book, make
lion—a staggering 122% increase diabetes exhibits a strong ethnic We also know that the risk of de- an appointment, check for events.
in less than 30 years. Type 2 diabe- preference: Native Americans, His- veloping type II diabetes is highest Let us help you become your best
tes is an epidemic requiring global panic-Latino Americans, and Afri- among obese people who have doctor.q
attention and urgent action. How- can-Americans show an increased an abnormal accumulation of fat.