Chennai: Hospitals in Chennai have been witnessing hiÂgh number of diabetic cases, said Dr V. KanaÂgasabai, dean of Rajiv Gandhi government general hospital. SpeÂaking at World Diabetes Day event at the hospital on TueÂsday, he said one should take at least half-a-kilo of vegetables every day and limit intake of banana, sweets, ice cream and chocolate.
Out of the 12,000 outpatients who visit the hospital every day, at least 1,000 receive treatment for diabetes. Diabetes can affect eyesight, kidney and heart, said Prof Dr P. DhaÂrmÂarajan, HoD, institute of diabetes.
Earlier, health minister, Dr Vijaya Bhaskar, said the hospital had been giving free medicine and insulin vials to patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
World Diabetes Day will be celebrated on NoveÂmber 14 and the theme by the international diabetes federation (IDF) is education and prevention of diabetes.
The recent report of IDF says that India is becoming the diabetic capital of the world and still half of the people with diabetes are undiagnosed.
Abnormality report put together by Indus Health Plus, a preventive healthcare check-up, has shown a rapid increase in the number of diabetics across major cities in India.
The report, based on the findings from July 2012 to May 2013, highlights that over a couple of years there has been an evident increase in the number of diabetic cases in Chennai.
Among all the recent cases, 20 per cent of those cases are of people above the age of 20, mostly from the urban population. Poor eating habits and sedentary lifestyle are the main reasons for the rise in diabetes.
Mr Amol Naikawadi, Indus Health Plus, says, "Since diabetes is associated with a lot of other lifestyle diseases like obesity, hypertension and heart disease among others, there is a need to follow a healthy lifestyle with a close check on one's diet."
Next: Three golden rules for urban diabetics
Three golden rules for urban diabetics
Chennai: One of the most common causes for cardiovascular risk factors, contributing to accelerating heart diseases, type 2 diabetes mellitus is expected to double world-wide over the next 25 years.
"Eat only nutrient dense food; include more complex carbohydrates and fibre-rich foods in your diet; control your food intake (according to your physical work); and fill your plate with more dal, vegetables and greens and choose whole fruits over fruit juices," says Sreenidhi Rajaram, founder and consultant, Aura Nutrition and Wellness Studio.
She adds drop simple sugar - refined sugar, honey and other alternatives; avoid sodas and sweetened beverages and excess salt. Food control, physical exercise and mind relaxation are the three golden points. Everyone can practice relaxation techniques to reduce stress by doing yoga and meditation, explains Rajaram.
