'Diabetics double in India in 15 years'

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Nov 5: US Doctor Gayatri Goswami has said that the change in lifestyle, food habit and lack of physical activities have led diabetes alarmingly rising in Northeast India.

Addressing the press in a hotel in the city today, the India-origin US doctor, who is in Guwahati to take part in the three-day first intertiol diabetes conference currently underway in the city, said: “Around 50 per cent of rural people in Assam don’t even know that they are diabetics.”

Dr. Metredith Hawkins from the USA said: “Diabetes at young age is seen not only Indian subcontinent. This is a reality in the USA as well. No medicine to cure diabetes has been invented as yet. However, awareness can check the disease to a great extent.”

African diabetes expert Dr. Eugene S said: “In African countries obesity leads to diabetes. Low-calorie diet, regular exercise and advice from doctors can check the disease.”

Dr. AK Azad, a diabetes expert from Bangladesh said while replying to a question: “Plants and herbs are essential for diabetics. However, the identification of the right plants is a difficult task.”

North Eastern Diabetes Society general secretary Dr. Sanjib Medhi said: “A survey has revealed that a person dies of diabetes in every six seconds. The number of diabetics in India is around 69 millions. India is known as the diabetes capital in the world. In the past 15 years the number of diabetics has risen by 50 per cent in India. Our society has started drives at school level to bring about awareness on diabetes.”

The conference that began on November 4 will conclude on November 5. Faculties of diabetes from the US, the UK, Africa, UAE and Bangladesh and around 500 Indian doctors are taking part in the conference. The highlights of the conference are Diabetic Food Workshop and Diabetes and Obesity workshop.