Obesity and diabetes are not pandemics
Dear Editor, In reference to your editorial ‘Less than sweet’ (SN, May 25), I would just like to clarify your usage of “obesity and its spinoffs” as a pandemic. They are not pandemic although they have reached pandemic proportions (afflicting a large number of people). Also, chronic non-communicable diseases like diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and cancers are not pandemic, although they have also reached pandemic proportions. As I learnt when I read for the Bio-Chemistry (BS) degree in studies on epidemiology, eons ago, and when I taught health science right out of university, a pandemic is an infectious disease that spreads rapidly through contact with those who have the disease. It tends to be global in nature. Examples of pandemics are malaria (transmitted by mosquitoes in certain areas), chikengunya (mosquito transmitted), typhus, cholera, swine flu, smallpox, HIV, AIDS, SARS, zika, whooping cough, influenza, etc.
Your editorial is right that the excessive consumption of sugar is largely to blame for obesity which can trigger diabetes. Diabetes has doubled over the last three decades. Globally, some 400 million people are diabetic and some 1.5 billion are overweight with 500 million being obese. In the US, figures show that a quarter of the population is suffering from diabetes and a larger number are overweight or obese. Obesity is a major problem among young people. In American public schools, the serving and sale of sugary products have been reduced or totally banned. Sugary products are also being taxed to discourage people from consuming them. The revenues collected are used for health treatment and education.
Studies show that some people are more prone to diabetes because of genetic composition. Indians, for example, have a high incidence of diabetes. A Guyanese Biology professor in Toronto has found that Indians have the highest incidence of diabetes. It is attributed to genetic composition, eating habits (large amounts of mitai or sweets), and lifestyle. Indians (indeed all Guyanese) are advised to diet, consume less carbohydrates, and exercise. People should avoid sugar (in tea, coffee, sweet drinks, pastries, etc) as much as possible. Diabetes can be controlled, but it requires a discipline and a regimen of exercise and a controlled diet.
People should heed your editorial and watch their diet of high carbohydrates to reduce the risk of diabetes. Those with diabetes face chronic complications including urinary problems, the possible amputation of limbs, and heart disease. It is best to control sugar intake. And yes a tax on sugary drinks is not a bad idea if it is to deter consumption.
Yours faithfully, Vishnu Bisram