00:00Every 14th of November is recognized as a World Diabetes Day, a day dedicated to raising global awareness about this disease that has claimed the life of thousands and millions of people across the world.
00:12According to the International Diabetes Foundation, over 500 million adults globally are living with diabetes.
00:19In Nigeria alone, 1 in 10 adults are living with diabetes, most surprisingly not even being aware of this condition.
00:28This year's team Diabetes Across Every Life Stages talks about the fact that diabetes not just affects adults, but can also affect children also.
00:37Joining us to unpack this segment is Dr. Taiwo Orobola, a General Family Consultant at Ifa Kojaye General Hospital.
00:46She will help us to understand what diabetes is and ways to prevent it. Stay tuned.
00:51Diabetes mellitus is either the absence of a particular hormone called insulin, or reduced production of insulin,
01:08or insensitivity to this insulin in the body, and it results to high blood sugar, because the sugar in the body will not be able to be metabolized,
01:23that is, it won't be able to be digested normally, so it will result in high blood sugar in the body.
01:29So that is diabetes mellitus for short. It has to do with the digestion and utilization of sugar in the body due to the absence of this hormone,
01:41or reduced production of this hormone, or inability of the body to make use of this hormone, which we call insensitivity to insulin.
01:50Diabetes mellitus is not a disease for the rich. It has nothing to do with being rich or being poor.
02:00It is a type of disease that can affect anybody at any age, from newborn to childhood to youth, youth like the young people, and to the elderly.
02:12It can affect anybody across the life stages. It can affect anybody.
02:19But it is not particularly a disease of the rich. Like I said earlier, it has to do with the problem with this insulin in the body.
02:28So it is not particularly a disease of the rich or the poor. It can affect anybody, and at any time in life.
02:37The symptoms that we are all familiar with, that anybody can relate with, is excessive urination.
02:44When you begin to urinate more than usual, especially at night when you go to bed, when you find out that, okay, usually I get up at night once, once to urinate before morning.
02:58But now, it has increased to two times, to three times, to four times, then you should note that there's something going on.
03:06And it could just be diabetes, apart from other things that can cause frequent urination.
03:12Diabetes mellitus is one of the things that can cause frequent urination.
03:15That is the commonest sign or symptom people usually see when they have diabetes mellitus.
03:21Others are like, being thirsty all the time, you just find out that you're always drinking water, always drinking water.
03:29Then you have to be careful. You need to check yourself.
03:31Or always eating. You are never full.
03:34Diabetes is a kind of disease that you will eat now, and before you know it, you are hungry again.
03:40You are never satisfied. You are never full after eating.
03:43So, that is also a sign of diabetes.
03:46Other signs could be tingling of the hands, tingling of the fingers, peppery sensations in the body.
03:53All those signs, they are there to show that there's something going on in the body, and you should check yourself.
03:58It could just be diabetes mellitus.
04:02It's better to stay as much as possible close to nature, because the more you process your food, the higher the calorie is.
04:11Okay? So, white bread is highly processed from flour and all.
04:16So, there's brown bread. Brown bread is said to be better than white bread.
04:21The calorie is lower. It's not as high as that that you find in white bread.
04:27So, brown bread is better.
04:29Whole grains. Instead of white rice, you can do brown rice, which is better.
04:34We have our local of other rice, which is also very good.
04:38The calorie is not so high, and it is rich in fiber as well, which does a lot of good for the body.
04:44So, as much as possible, let us stay close to nature.
04:47Let's avoid highly processed food.
04:50Let's stop copying the Western world.
04:52We have our own local meals here that are made naturally.
04:55So, we should stay as much as possible close to nature.
04:58The first thing to note is that prevention is better than cure.
05:06It's better not to get there than to get there and start looking for cure, treatment, and all that.
05:12Treating diabetes is very expensive.
05:15And these days, because of the dollar rates, the foreign exchange rate, we import most of these drugs.
05:21And they don't come cheap.
05:23They are very expensive, especially the insulin.
05:26They are very, very expensive.
05:27If there's a way the government can help us reduce VAT on drugs, imported drugs, it will go a long way to reduce the cost of treatment.
05:37Like I said earlier, prevention is better than cure.
05:39At every stage of life, check yourself.
05:43Don't get to that diabetic stage.
05:45There's a stage called pre-diabetes, and there's also a stage before the pre-diabetes.
05:50That is your normal self.
05:51So, if you can continue to be your normal self, don't get to pre-diabetes, let alone get to diabetes.
05:57So, that will go a long way to reduce the cost of treatment.
06:03For those that already have diabetes mellitus, one thing you must learn to do is control your blood sugar.
06:11Whether you're on drugs or not, learn to control your blood sugar, because high blood sugar has lots of complications.
06:18You start from your diet, moderate meals at a time.
06:22You know, it is such a way that if you eat small meal, your body will be able to cope with that small meal at that time.
06:29So, don't eat heavy meals, moderate meals at each time.
06:33We encourage you to eat three times daily.
06:35You can eat small portions as many times as possible, but not heavy at once.
06:43Then, the other thing is be active.
06:45You know, when you're active, you're likely to burn more sugar.
06:48You're likely to burn more cholesterol, fat in your body.
06:51So, stay active and go for check-ups.
06:54Check your blood sugar regularly.
06:56Check your blood cholesterol regularly.
06:57Check your eyes annually.
06:59You know, always go for check-up.
07:01Whatever it is your doctor tells you to do.
07:03Check your food. There's something you call food care.
07:05Care for your food.
07:06Prevent injuries.
07:08All these things can prevent complications and can make you live longer as a diabetic patient.
07:12You've just heard it all from Dr. Taiwo Orobola, a general consultant at Ifa Kojaye General Hospital.
07:19What diabetes there reminds us that diabetes don't just affect the elderly anymore.
07:24It also affects children.
07:26However, with the right care and treatment, you can live both unhealthy and full life.
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