A low-calorie diet which leads to a weight loss of 10-15 kgs can lead to remission of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in Lancet. Within a period of 12 months, half of the participants achieved remission to a non-diabetic state and off antidiabetic drugs.
India is a nation where the number of those afflicted with type 2 diabetes is truly staggering. According to a survey conducted by the Association of Physicians of India (API) in eight Indian cities, the nation is the biggest consumer of sugar in the world. It is currently home to 65 million diabetics. However, 9 out of 10 people are completely unaware of their blood sugar condition.
There are two types of diabetes. Though both involve the body’s inability to process sugar and glucose, they are very different. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease in which the person’s body cannot secrete insulin. Only 10 percent diabetes cases are of type 1, which is usually diagnosed during childhood or adolescence and is managed through daily insulin shots.
Type 2 diabetes on the other hand, is a condition in which the body produces insulin, but can’t process it properly. The early warning signs are hard to spot and sometimes people brush it off as stress and fatigue.
Diabetes takes more lives annually than AIDS and breast cancer combined and is the leading cause of heart and kidney failure, amputation and blindness.
(With inputs from Lancet.)
(For more news on Type 2 Diabetes, follow FIT.)
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