#BTEditorial – Diabetes is a Serious Health Threat

When the National Cultural Foundation (NCF) announced the return of the Crop Over Festival earlier this year after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency rekindled the spirit of the festival with an interesting catchphrase.

The theme of the launch event of the national celebration is sugar mech it sweetOf course, the Agency for Cultural Development was referring to the fact that sugar and sugar cane harvesting are closely related to our history and to who we are as human beings. reflect.

However sugar mech it sweet The theme also questioned our obsession with sugar and sugary foods, in that sugar poses a serious threat to our health. Some might argue that with the global awareness of the dangers of this and the declining demand for the product, we too should have weaned ourselves off our sugar cravings.

Sugar can be an important input in the manufacture of some products, and its export can still generate relatively small amounts of foreign currency for the country. But the toll it is taking on our health system and the amount of money needed to treat the many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) that result from this lifestyle can no longer be ignored.

Today is World Diabetes Day and the world’s attention is once again on the disease. We don’t want to blame sugar consumption or the sugarcane industry alone for this NCD explosion, but what we want to say is that sugar is highly addictive and the abuse of sugary foods. It’s time to recognize. It leads to many health problems.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) paints an explosive picture of the disease in its latest report on the incidence of diabetes in this hemisphere. According to PAHO, the number of people battling diabetes has tripled in the last 30 years.

This is heartening news for us as Barbados is already struggling to cope with a declining population and shrinking workforce to support its increasingly aging demographic and welfare state needs. not.

“If current trends continue, the number of people living with diabetes in the region is projected to reach 109 million by 2040,” the report notes.

Additionally, Dr. Anselm Hennis, Director of PAHO’s Division of Non-Communicable Diseases and Mental Health, said high rates of diabetes underscored the need for countries to focus on prevention and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Henis did not specify any country, but noted that only 12 countries in the Americas possess the six basic technologies needed to manage diabetes in public health systems. , which included equipment to measure blood glucose levels and tests to look for early signs of diagnosis of diabetic complications.

We fully understand that this is a disease that takes years for the full damage to become apparent, but to understand if this disease is silently damaging vital organs in our bodies. You are obliged to take the necessary measures to

Barbados Diabetes and Hypertension Association President Trudy Griffith addressed the issue at a church service marking World Diabetes Day.

“Sometimes our bodies do things that we cannot control. what you can do.”

She warned: You either have diabetes or you don’t and you have to take it seriously, so don’t tell people it’s like diabetes. I want you to “

Because you can’t imagine yourself existing in a highly disciplined life that doesn’t include sugary foods and drinks, it can be difficult to face the reality of a diabetes diagnosis.

They may also be afraid of losing a leg that has to be amputated due to a cut or infection on a limb that has not been treated properly.

Less emphasized is the fact that early stage diabetes can be reversed by paying attention to diet and exercise. With this disease, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. I have.

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