Seven out of ten diabetics follow imbalanced high-carb diet, study shows

Mumbai: Seven out of 10 diabetic peoplehave an imbalanced carbohydrate-heavy diet, a study has said. The survey was conducted by Abbott-commissioned Ipsos India, a market research agency, and included over 4,100 people affected by type-2 diabetes for over eighteen months. The average meal plate for all respondents, that were in an age group of 36-65 years and across socio-economic classes, comprises 68 per cent carbohydrates, significantly higher than the recommended guideline of 60 per cent carbohydrates, the
survey said.

Other key findings of the study were that 62 per cent of people with diabetes are obese. While men had an average BMI (body mass index) value of 24.1, women had an average BMI of 25.3. 55 per cent of people diagnosed with diabetes were below an age of 45 years and 17 per cent were diagnosed with the disease at an age less than 35 years. Also, 65 per cent people had an uncontrolled blood sugar level, while around 62 per cent suffered from other medical conditions. While the recommended manner to monitor blood sugar is to do fasting and a two-hour post-meal test, close to 40 per cent of respondents preferred to do only fasting test, the survey said.

"The post meal (test) is even more important because the post-meal blood sugars have been linked to cardiovascular disease in many studies," Dr V Mohan, Chairman and Chief
Diabetologist, Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre, Chennai, said. "Unlike in the West, where fasting blood glucose is important, in India, post-meal blood glucose is more important due to higher glycemic load in the Indian diet," Dr Shashank R Joshi, Senior Endocrinologist at Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai said.

The survey also found that 80 per cent of the respondents eat 3-4 meals per day and the gap between meals ranges from 4.5 to 7 hours. "For a person with diabetes, it is always better to have small frequent feeds rather than having infrequent large meals," Dr Mohan said. Only 40 per cent of the surveyed people claimed to do any form of exercise. Walking was most popular, with 93 per cent saying that they walk regularly.

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