Steady diet of diabetes

NESTLED between Divali and the upcoming Christmas holiday season was Monday’s observation of World Diabetes Day.

As is customary, agencies like the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) released statistics to help communities take stock of the challenge posed by this chronic non-communicable disease.

We have known for a long time that diabetes is a problem here. But some of the statistics compiled by PAHO this year paint a particularly worrying picture, suggesting this country is among the worst in the Americas when it comes to the impact of this disease.

PAHO statistics show TT ranks among the top ten countries in the region according to the age-standardised mortality rate from diabetes; the years of life lost prematurely due to the condition; and the impact of the disease on those who live with it, expressed in years lived with disability.

Also disclosed in PAHO’s Panorama of Diabetes in the Americas, released last week, is that this country is among those with what is considered an “extreme” age-standardised mortality rate among men, coming in at 84.8 per 100,000 population.

When it comes to this statistic, TT does not seem to be at risk of relinquishing its top-tier status any time soon.

“When observing the countries with the highest rates during the last decade, it can be seen that they remain practically unchanged,” PAHO says in its report, commenting on figures relating to 2010-2019.

Shockingly, about a third of the population has diabetes or is on the way there, estimates by the Diabetes Association of TT suggest.

PAHO has found a three-fold increase in the disease across the region over the last 30 years. If current trends continue, the confirmed cases in the Americas could move from 62 million to 109 million by 2040.

The challenges posed by such increases are bad enough; they are heightened by the impact of covid19. People with diabetes have higher risks for severe forms of that virus and death.

Our officials have done much to try to raise awareness and to encourage people to monitor their diet and sugar levels. They have also, since the onset of the pandemic, kept a careful eye on the risk of “pandemics within pandemics.”

But as PAHO’s figures suggest, this is a dogged problem, particularly when it comes to the male population.

There’s room for examining what new approaches can be added to current measures. For instance, what is the link between alcohol consumption within a local context and this disease?

Additionally, when it comes to measures such as VAT, the Government routinely adopts a questionable distinction between “luxury” and “non-luxury” foods.

Perhaps it could reframe the issue of zero-rating foods along the lines of discouraging excess consumption of sugars and fats?

Adopting such approaches might allow us to make more headway against a devastating disease.