Want to live happily with diabetes? Go to aerobics

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Jan 3: Call it lifestyle disease, disease of longevity or disease of civilization or by any other me, it is aerobic exercise that makes one live happily with diabetes.

Dr Mash P Baruah, a tiol expert and Director and Consultant Endocrinologist, Excelcare Hospital, Guwahati, delivered an enlightening talk on ‘how to live happily with diabetes’ at USTM conference hall on Wednesday. The talk was attended by all faculty members and other staff of the University.

Dr Baruah said: “Diabetes is a lifestyle disease and it’s mostly prevalent in the age group of 50-59. It is increasing year by year, mostly in urban areas. According to a study, in India diabetes has increased from 5 per cent in 1940 to 30 per cent in 2000 and the increase will be 46 per cent in 2030 in urban areas.  Since 1995, India has been topping on the number of diabetic patients amounting to 1.95 crore and the number will go up to 6 crore in 2025, to be followed by Chi with 3.76 crore. Regular aerobic exercise is the best medicine to combat diabetes.”

Dr Baruah pointed out top seven risk factors for type two diabetes—obesity, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, family history and genetics, increased age (65+), high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He also explained the two types of diabetes—the type one happens often during childhood and type two or adult onset diabetes happens usually after 30 years of age. “Complications of diabetes could be stroke, eye damage, heart attack, kidney damage, impotence, difficulty in passing urine, numbness and reduced blood supply to foot. The control is in our hands—it is mainly diet, exercise and foot care,” he said.