Bandar Seri Begawan - Drinking more than one can of soft drink a day significantly increases one's risk of developing chronic diseases, Roxanna M Rosly, Chief Dietician at Jerudong Park Medical Centre (JPMC), told a forum yesterday.

The forum at the JPMC was held in conjunction with World Diabetes Day, celebrated globally today.

Citing the Journal of American Heart Association, JPMC Chief Dietician Rozanna M Rosly said that people who drink more than one soft drink - regular or diet - a day are 31 per cent more likely of developing obesity and 30 per cent more likely to have larger waists.

She added that such people are 25 per cent more likely to suffer "high fasting blood sugar" and 32 per cent more likely to have "low HDLCholesterol", both risk factors for heart disease.

"Chronic diseases in Brunei, including diabetes, accounts for 79 per cent of deaths in 2002." she said.

"Diabetes is the third leading cause of death in Brunei and it is estimated that there will be a 40.2 per cent increase in prevalence from 2003 to 2025," Rosly said, adding that an increase of 161 per cent of diabetic patients is expected in Southeast Asia by 2030.

Heart disease, she said, has been the second leading cause of death in the Sultanate since 2006.

Rosly explained that type 2 diabetes accounts for more than 90 per cent of all diabetics and is marked by resistance to insulin, a hormone made by the pancreas that enables cells absorb glucose from the blood and use it for energy.

Insulin resistance, which has been established as the link between cancer, diabetes and heart disease, leads to raised glucose levels in the blood, which is associated with longterm damage to the body and failure or various organs and tissues, she explained.

Type 1 diabetes, however, is the result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin.

Rosly also highlighted some of the signs and symptoms associated with diabetes, such as frequent urination, unintentional weight loss without dieting, lack of energy and excessive thirst.

"Hunger, sometimes vomiting, stomach pain or flu, numbness, blurred vision, frequent infections and slow-healing wounds are normally the first signs we see in patients with diabetes," the Chief Dietician said. "These symptoms can however be either mild or absent. Sometimes we also see patients without any symptoms, so it is better to check if you know you are at risk," Rosly said.

Risk factors for developing diabetes include suffering obesity, hypertension or dyslipidemia (a disruption in the amount of lipids in the blood), being over the age of 45 or having a family history of diabetes, she added.

According to information provided by the JPMC, regular exercise of about 150 minutes a week helps improve insulin sensitivity, lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, also called mellitus.

Regular breakfast and a high-fibre diet including fruit, vegetables and wholegrain cereals instead of foods high in sugar, fats and calories can help maintain healthy blood glucose levels, and thus help prevent the development of diabetes, the centre advised.-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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