Lessons from the Diabetic Capital of the World: Central Chronicle has said India is the, “diabetic capital of the world with 50.8 million (7.1%) of its people suffering from diabetes.” Why is diabetes so prevalent in this country and what can the rest of the world learn from this pandemic?

The U.S. government has been quoted as saying that roughly 8% of the U.S. population has developed diabetes. The most current figure for total diabetes cases in the U.S. is around 24 million. This should put into perspective the total number of people who live in India.

If you think that a simple intellectual diet of information would be enough to combat the disease in India you may not understand some of the forces at work there. Central Chronicle suggests, “A rapid shift in… dietary habits and lifestyles is resulting in a rapid rise in obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. Hence a proper and healthy diet remains the cornerstone of prevention and management of these diseases.”

The article describes the profound growth in consumption of fast food compounded with convenience food snacks. This is believed to have contributed substantially to the rise in cases of diabetes within India.

As a guideline the article indicates, “The daily carbohydrate intake, derived from whole wheat, unpolished rice, barley, buckwheat, oats, millet, whole pulses, legumes, and whole fruits like guava/apple etc, should be around 50-60% of total calorie intake.”

It seems clear from the article that the prevailing belief among many in India is that a change in diet has been the leading cause of the rise in diabetes among the people in this Asian country. The Central Chronicle article suggests several guidelines that could help the people of India.

• Visible fat (oil, butter, ghee) and invisible fat (from cereals and pulses), together should be less than 30% of total energy. This can be got by consuming 4 to 5 teaspoonfuls of a combination of two or more vegetable oils. Correct cooking methods like boiling, steaming, roasting, grilling etc, instead of frying can minimize the visible fat intake.
• Trans fatty acids should be less than 1% of the total energy. These are found abundantly in bakery products, ready to use soups and gravies and foods prepared in margarine and vanaspati ghee. Hence it is best to avoid these products.
• Ideal protein intake is 1gm/day for every one kilo of body weight. Thus for the average Indian male, this could be obtained from two bowls of cooked pulses, or 2 pieces of lean chicken/fish meat, or 500ml of double toned milk, or 9 servings of wheat flour. This much of protein will provide 10-15% of the total calories.
• Salt intake should be less than 5gm per day. So, we Indians need to drastically curtail the ever so popular consumption of salted potato chips (a big favourite of children), pickles, and salty fried snacks.
• Sugar in very small amounts and water in excess (about 8-10 glasses) every day, should cap it all.
• Apart from this, it is important to take small frequent meals at intervals of 3-4 hours. While eating out (which has become increasingly popular, even in small towns in India), one should choose small portion sizes of healthy snacks. Beverages like buttermilk, coconut water, fresh lime with water are excellent substitutes for aerated and high calorie drinks. (Source: Central Chronicle)

Having information still remains useless unless that information is used to facilitate change. No one changes without the desire to make the change. The trend toward diabetes will be altered only when people choose for themselves a lifestyle that welcomes positive lifestyle changes and pay attention to what is consumed.