Managing diabetes

CEBU, Philippines - The rapid growth of diabetes cases in the country shouldn't come as a surprise for a carbohydrate-loading nation.

Diabetes mellitus, or simply diabetes, is a dysfunction in the way our body uses blood glucose, commonly called blood sugar. Glucose is important because it's a source of energy for the cells that make up our muscles and tissues. But years of unhealthy lifestyle patterns and food intake, sedentary lifestyle as well as body degeneration that naturally comes with aging put us at high risk of contracting the disease. 

As of 2013, the number of diabetic adults reached an estimated 380 million worldwide, according to the Philippine Journal of Internal Medicine. The number is very likely to rise to over 592 million by 2035, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). In the Philippines, there's one in every five adults - about 11 million - suffering from either pre-diabetes or full-blown diabetes, the IDF reports.

Just a short time back, diabetes was a problem known mostly among 45-50 year-olds, but today the "new normal" already includes kids as young as three years old.

Endocrinologist Dr. Gerry Tan, however, assures that although the word "curable" may not that be the medically correct term, diabetes can at least be "treated." Dr. Tan is a former instructor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and currently professor at the Cebu Doctors College of Medicine.

Speaking in a recent media forum on the diabetes problem, along with Abbott Nutrition Philippines medical director Dr. Jose Rodolfo Dimaano, Jr., Dr. Tan said, "It is best that you prevent the onset of the disease, rather than suffering from the complications. It saddens me that most of the patients who come to me already are 10-20 years diabetic long before they knew they are."

Drs. Tan and Dimaano mentioned Glucerna Triple Care, a diet formula based on latest scientific advances in nutrition, that provides three key benefits for people with diabetes or are in the pre-diabetes stage. The product may be used either as a "supplement" or a "replacement," depending on a specific goal. "If you are [into gaining] weight, you use Glucerna as a supplement. If you are into weight loss, you use [it] to replace the value of food which is not anymore recommended [for] your diet," Dr. Dimaano explained.

Glucerna Triple Care is said to manage blood sugar, support heart health, and trim down the waistline. The product prides in its low glycemic index, meaning it has a slow-release system that delays absorption of carbohydrates in order to manage glucose response after eating. Compared to other diabetes dietary formulas, Glucerna claims to have the highest level of chromium picolinate, a mineral which helps enhance insulin response.

Dr. Dimaano added that because it has a "lipid blend rich in monounsaturated fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids, Glucerna helps in lowering your chances of macrovascular complications like myocardial infarctions and stroke."

Glucerna promises results in as fast as 12 weeks.  More information is available on the website: www.glucerna123challenge.com.ph.

An ideal diabetes management plan includes proper diet, regular exercise, a healthy lifestyle and prescribed medication.  (FREEMAN)