8 M Pinoys at risk of diabetes

Some eight million Filipinos are unwittingly in the "pre-diabetes" stage, experts warned recently.

Philippine Lipid Atherosclerosis Society president Dr. Ruby Go said the growing number of Filipinos who are suffering from impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG) is a cause for concern.

Go said people in this condition are likely to develop diabetes, a condition in which the pancreas does not produce enough insulin (Type 1 diabetes) or when the body does not respond properly or produce enough insulin (Type 2 diabetes) to metabolize the sugar consumed.

Records of the National Nutrition and Health Survey showed that 4.6 percent or 3.7 million adult Filipinos are known to be afflicted with diabetes. A similar number of people is believed to be sick with diabetes without knowing it.

There is no official data on how many Filipinos are in the pre-diabetes stage but experts believe the number of Filipinos in the pre-diabetes stage is double the number of all diabetes cases in the country.

Go said people in the pre-diabetes stage do not manifest symptoms, but she added that the progression of pre-diabetes into full-blown diabetes can be delayed with sufficient exercise and a proper diet that is low in sugar.

Philippine Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism president Dr. Rosa Allyn Sy said diabetes is one of the "most common non-communicable diseases" in the country. "It is a silent killer of Filipinos."

Diabetes can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, kidney disorders and the amputation of limbs due to gangrene.

Worldwide, 193 million people are believed to be suffering from diabetes. This figure is expected to rise to 330 million by 2025, with a majority of cases coming from the Western Pacific region, which includes the Philippines.

Sy said this is because of the "increased westernization" of the region, the presence of fast-food outlets that serve unhealthy cuisine, sedentary lifestyle and genetic predisposition to the disease. — Sheila Crisostomo