Watch your sweet tooth, Kochi

KOCHI:  Lifestyle diseases are a curse that people have to bear with. A recent study conducted by Metropolis Healthcare in Kochi claims that 16 per cent of the city’s population suffer from poorly managed diabetes. A two-year data analysis that sampled as many as 73,000 city dwellers proves that Kochi is well on its way to becoming the diabetes capital of the country. The incidence of poorly controlled diabetes was found to be highest (24 per cent) in the 20-30 age group, followed by 30-40 (22 per cent) and 40-50 (19 per cent).  

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), one in every four people under the age of 25 years has adult-onset diabetes, a condition considered typical to the 40-50 age group.Women are especially vulnerable.

The survey showed that 16 per cent of all women tested were found to suffer from unsatisfactorily controlled diabetes compared to 15 per cent prevalence in men.

“It is a growing challenge in India with an estimated 8.7 per cent diabetic population among the 20-70 age group. Rapid urbanisation, sedentary lifestyles, unhealthy diets and uncontrolled use of alcohol and tobacco contribute to this.

Lifestyle interventions, like good sleep, exercise, and diet routine alongside regular monitoring is a must for diabetes management,” said Dr Ramesh Kumar, CEO, Sudharma Metropolis Healthcare.