Health: Young at risk of diabetes too

Nasi lemak and banana leaf rice are high in carbohydrates

The incidence of diabetes is increasing among Malaysians, and at a younger age too, World Diabetes Day on Nov 14 aims to increase awareness, writes SUZANNA PILLAY

THERE’S no avoiding the facts and there’s no excuse for it. Malaysians are getting fatter because of diet and inactivity, and younger Malaysians are developing diabetes for the same reasons.

Professor of Medicine and consultant endocrinologist Prof Dr Nor Azmi Kamaruddin says: “According to a 2007 American study, with a prevalence of 14.9 per cent, we are among the top 10 countries with the highest rate of diabetes. We’ve even surpassed the Americans and the Chinese (eight per cent each). Many are surprised by these figures. But we don’t have to be fat to develop diabetes. Perhaps it’s because of our diet. We eat a lot of carbohydrates whereas Americans eat more fatty food.” The high incidence of Type 2 in the young diabetes is not peculiar to Malaysia. It’s common all around the world in developing and developed countries. “The primary factor of increasing diabetes in the young is caused by the prevalence of obesity in youths brought about by diet, such as the consumption of more calories than their forefathers and exercising less. They also tend to spend too much time in front of the television and at computer consoles, instead of outdoors on sports. “There is a basic lack of activity and an over-consumption of food. Super-sized meals offered at eateries and food outlets don’t help the problem either,” says Prof Dr Nor Azmi, who is also president of the Endocrine & Metabolic Society.

Another contributing factor is inheritable diabetes genes. “One peculiarity about the diabetes gene is that subsequent generations can get the disease at an earlier age. For example, if the grandfather gets diabetes at 60, the father can get it at 50 and the grandchild at 40.” Figures show that for adolescents aged 18, one in 50 develop diabetes and for those aged 30 and above, 14.9 per cent are diabetic, according to the third National Mortality and Morbidity Survey (2006) and these figures are alarming. Of this figure, 19-20 per cent are Indians, 12 per cent Malay and 11 per cent Chinese.

This is why it is vital that every Malaysian aged above 30 should get checked for diabetes. This is particularly so if they are of Indian ethnicity as “food is one thing but the multiplicity gene is more manifest in Indians”. “Studies have shown that Indians are more prone to abdominal obesity and will become insulin resistant.” As Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease, changes in diet and physical activity can lower the risk.

“Try to eat your heaviest meal earlier in the day so that you can burn up some of the calories as you move about in the daytime. Dinner is the worst time to eat your heaviest meal as most people are relatively inactive at night.

“Cut down on carbohydrates such as rice and noodles. Eat more vegetables, fruit and proteins. It’s the same advice that we’ve been giving but unfortunately there’s no way around diabetes other than diet and exercise.”

Read more: http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/Health_Youngatriskofdiabetestoo/Article#ixzz15ku3MYF9