Tema-Ghana, June 16, GNA – Dr Zuleila Fuseini, a Physician Specialist at International Maritime Hospital (IMaH) at Tema, has advised diabetic patients to consume foods that are rich in fibre.
She said foods that contain lots of fibre helped with blood sugar control, weight management, and lowering one’s risk of heart disease.
Dr Fuseini said this at the Ghana News Agency’s weekly health promotion initiative at its Tema Regional Office dubbed: “Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility!
The initiative, aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy
Speaking on “Diabetes Mellitus,” Dr Fuseini explained that foods such as beans, avocado, legumes, and cereals contained an adequate amount of fibre that needed to be consumed on regular basis.
She explained that because most of the foods consumed end up becoming glucose, fruits, and vegetables needed to be consumed on regular basis to help reduce blood sugar levels and the rate of diabetes in the country.
Dr Fuseini said diabetes accounted for millions of deaths worldwide, and statistics had shown that eight out of every hundred people had diabetes.
The Physician Specialist said unintentional weight loss, frequent urination, numbness, and extreme hunger were some symptoms of diabetes and advised that a visit be made to a health facility immediately to ascertain the cause of these signs.
She went on to say that living a healthy lifestyle through regular exercise, avoiding smoking, drinking, and the intake of junk foods, were important steps towards reducing one’s chance of getting the disease.
She entreated Ghanaians to adopt the habit of regular health checkups at the health facilities to know their sugar levels and find appropriate ways of managing them when necessary.
Diabetes is a chronic, metabolic disease characterised by elevated levels of blood glucose (or blood sugar), which leads over time to serious damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves, she explained.
Dr Fuseini indicated that the most common was type two diabetes, usually in adults, which occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or does not make enough insulin.
“In the past three decades, the prevalence of type two diabetes has risen dramatically in countries of all income levels,” she said.
The IMaH Physician Specialist stressed that type one diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin by itself.
“For people living with diabetes, access to affordable treatment, including insulin, is critical to their survival. There is a globally agreed target to halt the rise in diabetes and obesity by 2025,” she said.
She mentioned some of the preventive modalities such as balanced diets, regular exercise, cutting down on alcohol intake, cessation of smoking, and keeping weight, saying the ideal Body Max Index (BMI) should be between 18 and 25.
Dr Fuseini also expressed worry that currently, there was a rising record of type two diabetes in children, a situation that used to be prevalent among adults.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, the Tema GNA Regional Manager, warned against the rise of sedentary lifestyles and inactivity, which were associated with current way of life including modes of transportation, and working in a seated position.
He emphasised on the importance of combating sedentary lifestyles, which had become a public health crisis.
