Diabetes

Enjoy the Lunar New Year festivities without compromising your health. By Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju. It’s that time of the year again, the most significant few days in the Chinese calendar – the Lunar New Year. It’s a time to get together with friends and family and eat, drink and be merry... in a health-conscious way.  First up, the Reunion Dinner on New Year’s Eve, when families gather around a sumptuous meal. A part of the meal is Lo Hei, when everyone gathers…

Everything you eat is converted to sugar – yes, proteins and fats, too. A fast food meal spikes blood sugar by 30%. Nutritionist Kohila Govindaraju tells you how to break out of the vicious cycle of sugar rush, insulin spike, blood sugar drop, renewed hunger and weight gain.  Go for the slow burn  If you want your day to be more productive and rewarding, launch it with a nourishing meal. You will be more productive all day long if you invest just a few minutes in…

However bad you thought smoking was, its much worse. A new study adds 5 more diseases to the existing 21 diseases and 60,000 more deaths to the existing toll of half million deaths attributed to tobacco in United States alone. Death rates of smokers are 2-3 times higher than those who have never smoked and they die a decade earlier than smokers. Stopping smoking helps reduce risk over time. In addition to existing hazards of lung cancer, artery disease, heart attacks, chronic lung disease…

Think you know all the reasons? Prepare to be surprised. By family practitioner and marathoner Dr Gita Mathai. Plus, how much to exercise to get its real benefits. We all want to look good, be slim and healthy. There’s one magic pill for this and it’s called exercise. Even if you’re ‘too tired’ or ‘too busy’, you need to get off that couch now.  Benefits of regular exercise Exercise helps to achieve ideal body weight if also combined with calorie restriction.…

Based on a discussion with Dr. Venkat Rao, Diabetologist 1. My mother has diabetes. Should I get my blood sugar checked? I am now 30 years old.  Everybody should get their blood sugar tested once a year after the age of 30, irrespective of whether or not there is a family history of diabetes. This is especially true for Indians as India has a high incidence of diabetes.  If you have a family history of diabetes with a tendency of early occurrence; if you are obese…

Today Juliana Lim from Singapore is a team leader in a Diabetes Support Group inspiring others to be open about their condition. Read about her inspiring story

SINGAPORE: In a decade-long diabetes study, researchers from Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) found that among those with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM), Malays and Indians are at higher risk of cardiovascular diseases compared to Chinese patients. Malay patients had two times higher risk while Indians had 1.7 times higher risk of diseases such as heart attacks and strokes, compared to Chinese patients with T2DM, according to findings of a study released by the healthcare cluster that manages…

SR Madhu, 73, has had diabetes for 23 years, and has avoided the health hazards faced by his peers. He thanks the diabetes lifestyle for his wellbeing. Plus, his experience of hypoglycaemia.  I was quite upset to discover in 1991 that diabetes had hit me. I had been "on the borderline" of diabetes for a few years whenever I had been tested in India. But when I crossed the international border in 1991 to take up a UN assignment in Zimbabwe, the diabetes crossed…

Persons with diabetes often get extremely stressed when their doctor wants to move them from pills to insulin shots. Dr Shital Patel allays the fears and explains what to expect and how to go about it. The transition from pills to insulin injections can be a worrying experience for many Diabetes Type 2 patients. You should know that this does not mean that your diabetes has worsened or that your Type 2 diabetes has changed to Type 1. You are being prescribed insulin because after…

Your size is not a matter of perception but a mathematical fact that you can calculate, says Dr Gita Mathai. What are the commonly used parameters? The BMI (Body Mass Index) is easily measured. It is weight (in kg) divided by height (in meters) squared. BMI Weight Status Below 18.5 Underweight 18.5 – 23.9 Normal 24.0 – 29.9 Overweight 30.0 and Above Obese BMI has some limitations. If it is calculated for adults who are very muscular, or very thin, they may fall erroneously into…