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SOUTH AFRICA, December 21, 2003: An medical expert has warned South African Indians to be vigilant of their lifestyle and diet as they are very prone to diabetes and heart-related diseases. Dr Ramachandiran Cooppan of the Harvard Medical School said in Durban and Pietermaritzburg this week that South African Indians “share similarities with Indians from India. People with a family history of diabetes should consider themselves as having the disease until proven otherwise,” he said. He said most Indians had somebody in their families with either diabetes or heart disease. “Our lifestyle and food leads to this disease. It’s also on the rise among Africans as they move from rural to urban areas, which leads to a change in lifestyle.” Cooppan said there was a new concern for children and teenagers being diagnosed with type II diabetes, which was normally found in the elderly. A lack of physical inactivity led to weight gain, resulting in diabetes. “Parents must encourage their children to take part in physical activities and healthy, balanced diets. Inactive TV watching has to be monitored and limited by parents.” Of the two types of diabetes, type I was less common but more serious. “Type I has identifiable symptoms, where the patient gets unusually thirsty, urinates frequently, loses weight and is constantly hungry. Normally young people who are less than 30 years old get this type of diabetes.” The main problem with type II diabetes was that there were no symptoms until it had progressed for years in the body. “Once it has progressed, diabetics have problems with feet infections, leading to amputations. This can be prevented. Diabetics have to work closely with foot specialists. “People need to check blood-sugar level regularly. If picked up early, the patient can deal with it by a change in lifestyle.” He said diabetics had to lose weight and consult a nutritionist to cultivate good eating habits. He believes diabetes can be prevented by avoiding smoking and alcohol and eating in moderation.

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