India is often called the diabetes capital of this world, and if statistics are anything to go by, we seem to be living up to the title, with the country logging in record number of cases each year.
14 Novemeber is World Diabetes Day, a day meant to remind us all of the risk factors associated with the condition, and also up our awareness of it.
Awareness, for instance, of how the condition is not restricted to older people, how it can impact seemingly unrelated parts of your body like your eyes and cognition, and also how type 2 diabetes is reversable.
Sugar.fit's new initiative launching in time for world diabetes day does just that.
In the video, Farhan Akhtar voices the different restrictions that a person with diabetes is thought to be saddled with for life. He then goes on to debunk this misconception and emphasising the fact that type 2 diabetes is controllable and if caught earlier on, at lower levels, even reversable.
Yes, Type 2 Diabetes is Reversable
...but it's conditional.
For one, the chances of being able to 'reverse' diabetes is highest in the first 10 years after its onset and while you're still in the prediabetic stage.
Speaking to FIT for a different article, Dr Anoop Misra, Chairman, Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, Metabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, explained how people who are obese and developed type 2 diabetes are more likely to be able to 'reverse' it, saying "“Even if a person has a strong family history of diabetes and is obese (BMI more than 30 or so), then it can be reversed.”
This is because the 'reversal' process heavily relies on losing weight to ease the strain on the kidneys and pancreas and restore their normal functioning.
“However, those with a very strong genetic predisposition, or marked fat inside the abdomen may not respond as well.” Dr Misra added.
And although 'reversal' doesn't mean 'cure', it is still possible to have a wholesome, quality life with diabetes by effectively managing it.
Making the right lifestyle choices—mindful eating, right nutrition, regular exercise, and regular checkups are stepping stones to not only controlling the illness but also preventing it.
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