The sweet tooth of diabetes

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It  was and still is believed that diabetes and sugar would never work together. Much anticipation could be traced on the hundreds of faces gathered to know the magic of balancing diabetes and sugar intake inside the Olympia chambers of Chandrasekharan Nair stadium on Sunday morning.A majority were middle-aged citizens in the city suffering from the travails of insulin injection and the forced refrain from the world of sweets.At the diabetes awareness programme, the participants were eager to know how the hitherto-held chalk and cheese relation of diabetes and sweets could be broken. Dr M V Prasad’s experiments for the past two years were presented before the packed audience sitting before him.According to him, a balanced intake of sweets can stimulate the sleeping beta cells storing insulin inside one’s pancreas. This, in turn, can prevent  administering insulin externally into the body of the diabetic. Those anxiously sitting in front of him to learn the mantra of enjoying sweets without increasing the diabetes level were not disappointed.Consuming sweets, he said, is the process of giving glucose to the body so as to stimulate the inactive beta cells in the pancreas. The excess of glucose in the food intake can be burned out by doing exercises, so as to balance the level of blood sugar. According to Prasad, undergoing unnecessary diet too will not give good results. Insulin injections are required only when the body does not produce adequate amount of it.Otherwise, it only needs to stimulate the available insulin in the pancreas by supplementing adequate glucose. Taking sweets in empty-stomach, as stated by him, would elicit better response.Prasad also pointed out the rate at which diabetes tightens its grips on people. “Once, diabetes affected people only in their 60s. Now, it can be found in those who are at the threshold of 40s. No wonder, if future generations fall into the world of diabetes very early, even at the start of their 20s,” he said. One of the attributed causes, he said, is the lack of physical fitness among children.He pointed out that “these days, parents only want their children to focus their attention on studies all the time. Children are by no means encouraged to play, which could ensure them a healthy living.”The programme was organised by the Lion’s Club of Trivandrum Rajadhani.