An important day in our health calendar
DIABETES is now a major global health problem, and November 14 is an important day in our health calendar! It was established in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation with support from the World Health Organization, becoming an official United Nations day in 2006. There are two types of diabetes, both of which involve insulin, a hormone essential for life. In Type One Diabetes (10 per cent of cases) the body cannot produce insulin, due to damage to the pancreas. The cause of the disease is not known but it can be managed by injecting the insulin. In the much more common (90 per cent) Type Two Diabetes (TTD), the body does produce insulin, but it does not function properly. This condition is much more to do with lifestyle, especially obesity. Although there are drugs for TTD, it can even be better treated (in fact, prevented) by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. These will help keep down obesity (waistline less than height). Importantly, also, TTD is a risk factor for cancers, especially pancreatic cancer. Our scientists recently published a landmark paper showing how pancreatic cancer might be managed by integrating clinical medicine with complementary measures. Many of these also relate to TTD. Such complementary measures include diet that is low in glycaemic index, exercise, no smoking and minimum alcohol. Remarkably, such measures can produce better effects than medicines! This paper is readily accessible by opening the following link: https://www.mdpi.com/20726694/12/11/3096. We wish everyone affected by diabetes all the very best.
Prof Dr Mustafa Djamgoz Cancer Research Foundation (KAV)