Diabetes prevention starts with us

Reality check: Diabetes is one of the major public health burdens in Malaysia now.

WE refer to your report “Health DG: Number of diabetic patients increasing every year” (Nov 11; online at https://bit.ly/3kvB17U). As stated in the report, diabetes is one of the major public health burdens in Malaysia, where nearly one in five people suffer from the disease, according to the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019.

While we cannot control our genetic susceptibility to diabetes, we have the power to adjust our lifestyles to prevent its onset. Prevention is particularly important in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, as diabetes patients are more likely to develop serious illnesses if they contract the virus.

In conjunction with World Diabetes Day 2021 (Nov 14), we are challenging Malaysians to reduce the amount of sugar in their diet and creating awareness on how this can be done.

Scrumptious local delights ranging from nasi lemak and teh tarik to the wide varieties of kuih have been part of the Malaysian diet since forever. We Malaysians take pride in our unique food and enjoy having them on various social occasions. While we allow ourselves to indulge, we forget that we are taking in a huge amount of sugar and that diabetes might be silently creeping up on us.

Of course, having just a cup of teh tarik will not compromise our health, but the story will be different if we are also consuming other sugary food over the course of the day.

It is the cumulative effect of the sugar in our food, the constant craving for sweet desserts, and the prolonged condition of insufficient insulin production to lower our blood glucose levels that lead to diabetes.

Some people may be aware of the sugar content in their diets, but they are reluctant to cut down. Their perspectives may be valid because they view these sweet treats as rewards to get them through tedious working days or the doldrums. This may not be the best way to handle stress, but it is certainly slightly better than imbibing in alcohol or chain smoking.

Does this mean it is fine to stick with this mindset? Most certainly not! Severe diabetes can lead to irreversible health consequences such as limb amputation, impaired vision, and kidney failure, to name a few.

Diabetes patients may also experience severe mental distress as they lose their ability to carry out daily routines and become increasingly dependent on others. At that point, it will be too late to reverse the harm caused by the disease even if they change their eating habits.

The time to change is when we still have the choice to do so. Diet and nutrition is always about balance and moderation. We can start by reducing the portion and sugar content of the food we are consuming, and the frequency of eating. We can then slowly apply this technique to other foods to gradually reduce the total sugar content in our diet.

Practise “mindful eating”, which entails being fully present when we are having our meals. In our busy lifestyles, it is very common for us to eat while watching TV or scrolling through our social media.

When our attention is focused on these digital screens, we are likely to be eating on autopilot mode, which may lead to overeating. On the other hand, if we tune into what we are eating, we can choose nutritious foods and savour each bite.

Some ways to practice mindful eating include eliminating electronic devices and eating slowly during our meals, serving food in modest portions, and listening to our hunger and satiety cues.

We need to achieve the Global NCD (non-communicable disease) target set by the World Health Organisation. As individuals, we need to play our part by taking care of our health. We do not need to wait for the government to implement strict policies or mandatory rules for product reformulations or sugar taxes. We can start by making better choices for ourselves today.

CHIN YU QIONG , Seri Kembangan and DR FEISUL MUSTAPHA , Consultant Public Health Physician and Deputy Director (NCD), Non-Communicable Disease Section Ministry of Health