More and more we are realising that Diabetes is not the problem of blood sugar alone. Type 2 Diabetes is a more complex disorder with high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, obesity, and problem in the circulation in the brain and heart. At the end of the day, you are one person and you should be aware that he has Type 2 Diabetes. Never forget to ask your doctor or nurse about your blood pressure as blood pressure control is as important as sugar control, if not more. The target blood pressure in people with Diabetes is 130/80 mm of Hg and less. Also regular checking of blood cholesterol (the “fat" in the blood) is important and if high should be treated.
What is the effect of obesity on Diabetes?
With obesity our body"s insulin can not work normally. When you loose weight Insulin starts working better. Same happens with exercise. That is why some people with obesity and Diabetes controls by diet restriction and exercise. Loosing weight is not always easy, but we need to try and emphasize on your children not to get overweight.
Obesity in India?
Obesity is increasing all over the western world and in the cities in India. We do not have much of a population-based study in India, so it is difficult to comment about the Indian scenario. Limited number of studies are available, which suggest clearly that in comparison to the west our BMI is less, but the Waist to hip ratio is high making us more prone to heart problem.