The Three Killers-Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Heart Attacks

Whether young or old, presumably healthy or not, active or inactive, the three deadly diseases can come upon you when you least expect it. Be wise to the onset, effects, consequences and cure for diabetes, high blood pressure and heart attacks and be safe. Dr Altaf Patel details it for you in this eye-opener and recommends preventive measures as the best possible cure 

- Dr Altaf Patel

DIABETES

Three decades ago diabetes was as rare as summer snow. Today any doctor sees about half a dozen of diabetics a day. According to the journal cell metabolism 70% of the global burden of type II diabetes will be in individuals from developing countries by 2030 and the World Health Organisation states that by 2050, 80 million Indians will be diabetic. In 1985 the world had a million diabetics and in 2010 that was 2.5 million. In 2013 India had 40 million diabetics, the highest number of any country.

It makes sense to pause and think what's happened here. One of the theories is that increasing prosperity has led to an increase in caloric intake. Our body's genes have not yet compensated for this and we store fat akin to starving countries and that makes us more prone to diabetes. It may take a 1000 years to change our genetic makeup, but let us consider facts that may be under our control. The scourge of industrial pollution may be responsible. An article in the JAMA medical journal stated that in areas where ground water arsenic was high, the incidence of diabetes was much higher. Control of industrial pollution is poor in our country and the ground water is loaded with toxic metals. There are two types of diabetes, 

type I that requires insulin and type II that can be managed by sugar-lowering drugs. There is anecdotal evidence that states that babies fed with cow milk before they were four months old and those with vitamin D deficiency are more likely to have type I diabetes. Other factors besides genetic that are seen in those who are overweight, or suffer from heart ailments, lack of exercise, high blood pressure, or high blood fats (triglycerides) and low good fat (HDL) may all be associated with diabetes.