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Dr. Adewole Adesanya, Consultant Physician and Endocrinologist, Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Lokoja, has warned that skipping breakfast regularly pose high risk of diabetes.
Adesanya gave the warning on Monday in Lokoja on the sidelines of this year’s World Diabetes Day (WDD).
Diabetes is often referred to by doctors as diabetes mellitus.
It describes a group of metabolic diseases in which a person has high blood glucose (blood sugar), either because insulin production is inadequate, or because the body’s cells do not respond properly to insulin, or both.
He said that people who formed the habit of willingly skipping their breakfast in the morning were exposing themselves to the risk of diabetes.
He advised that people should eat more of high fibre food such as yam, bread with a lot of vegetables rather than food with high concentration of sugar.
“People should eat healthily with more intakes of fruits such as cucumber, tomatoes, carrots and garden egg and small portion of apple, pawpaw, banana and watermelon, especially diabetic patients.
“Diabetic patients must take good care of themselves, adhere strictly to instructions of their physicians, dieticians and check their blood sugar level regularly.
“We must make sure we do everything possible to reduce and maintain a normal weight, regular exercises, and eat a balanced diet to prevent diabetes,’’ the expert said.
He noted that diabetes does not have a known cure for now except the so called pancreatic transplant of the lacking insulin, but could be effectively managed.
“There are four types of diabetes.
“Type 1 is common in younger age below 30, type 2 is most prevalent diabetes for all ages, and gestational diabetes which mainly affects pregnant women.
“The classical symptoms of diabetes as excessive water intake and urination, excessive eating and losing weight, weak erection, recurrent boils and infections, miscarriages and still birth, among others,’’ Adesanya said.
He appealed to government at all levels to sensitise the public through their awareness programmes on the importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes.
“The Federal Government should subsidised insulin and metforme in order to assist the patients in their treatment due to its high cost.
“The general public must be adequately sensitised on its early signs, detection, possible preventions and treatment to reduce the risk of serious complications.
“For every two people that have diabetes there is one person that is not known; that is, 1 in 2 people currently living with diabetes is undiagnosed.
“We are all stakeholders on public awareness of diabetes; let us inform our friends, families, co-workers and neighbours to help achieve massive individual screenings by participating in our Test2Prevent initiative.’’
NAN reports that this year’s World Diabetes Day, themed “Eyes on Diabetes”, is marked annually on Nov. 14, to raise awareness on the disease.
The theme focuses on the importance of screening to ensure early diagnosis of type 2 diabetes and treatment so as to reduce the risk of serious complications.
Source: NAN
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