Will Diabetes be a Threat to India’s Future Workforce?

Diabetes is a disorder of metabolism—the way the body uses or converts food for energy and growth. The digested food is broken into glucose (sugar). Glucose is present in our blood which is a main source of energy to our body.

Glucose cannot enter our body without insulin. Insulin allows our cells to taken in glucose. Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas. After the digested food is eaten, the pancreas releases sufficient quantity of insulin to move the glucose present in our blood into the cells and lowers the blood sugar level.

There are three main types of diabetes:

Type 1
When the body fails to produce insulin and the person has to inject insulin daily.
Symptoms may include increased thirst and urination, constant hunger, weight loss, blurred vision, and extreme fatigue. If not diagnosed and treated with insulin, a person with Type 1 diabetes can lapse into a life-threatening diabetic coma. It occurs at an early age in children. People with diabetes must monitor blood glucose levels several times a year with a laboratory test called the A1C. Results of the A1C test reflect average blood glucose over a 2 to 3 month period. Radiation Treatment for Cancer Causes Diabetes in Children

Type 2
The pancreas produces sufficient insulin, but the body cannot use the insulin effectively, it is called insulin resistance.
Diabetes require one or more diabetes medicines—pills, insulin, and other injectable medicine—to control their blood glucose levels. It is common in family history, older, overweight, and inactive people. Drinking even one sugary drink a day raises the risk of developing type-2 diabetes by 25 percent. Green leafy vegetables reduce risk of diabetes. Fast food burgers, fried chicken strongly linked to development of type 2 diabetes

Type 3 Gestational
When pregnant women, who have never had diabetes before, have a high blood glucose level during pregnancy. It may precede development of Type 2 DM.
Mother who do not breastfeed have double chance to develop Type 2. Pregnant and lactating mothers are often advised not to drink coffee at all. Electro Pollution can cause diabetes (type-3). Sugary cola drinks found to be a huge risk for gestational diabetes during pregnancy.

When blood glucose levels drop too low— a person can become nervous, shaky, and confused. Judgment can be impaired, and if blood glucose falls too low, fainting can occur.

A person can also become ill if blood glucose levels rise too high. Study has shown each of us carry upto 100 genes leading to cancer and diabetes. India, has over 30 million diabetes which is 15% of global diabetes and projection has showed it will increase to 70% by 2025. Diabetes affects working class ages. India has a population of 1.1 billion and 40% diabetes is under the age of 18 years which is a threat to India’s future workforce. Diabetes if not controlled in time will leads to long term complications, increasing  disability,  death rates, stroke, heart disease, retinal damage, chronic kidney failure, nerve damage, poor healing of wounds, gangrene on the feet which may lead to amputation, and erectile dysfunction.

You can reduce your risk of developing diabetes by having proper diet (cutting fat & calories) and exercising (chose walking 30 minutes a day). Sleep enough. Always try and  be in a positive state of mind. Daily consumption of almonds and walnuts lower the risk of developing diabetes and heart diseases. Eat less of sugar and processed meat. Add coconut oil to your diet.  Eat lot of green leafy vegetable. Eat citrus fruits, as well as cherries and many other fruits and vegetables.