By Dr. David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.S.N., Chairman of the Herbalife Nutrition Institute
What is Diabesity?
When defined, the term seems simple enough: Diabesity is a convenient way of describing and discussing type 2 diabetes in the context of obesity. These two afflictions seem to converge and intersect more and more, popping up in our own households and communities, among family and friends who have long struggled with their weight.
And it makes sense to combine these two conditions into one place.
Together, both lead to the development and progression of cardiovascular disease – the top cause of untimely death in the United States. Both weigh heavily on our health care systems worldwide, on our economies, on our budgets, and on our businesses’ bottom lines.
The Diabesity Epidemic: A Growing Crisis
Before we can dig into the solutions, we have to understand the full extent of the problem.
As of 2013, over 380 million people across the globe were affected by diabetes – a number expected to inch closer to 600 million by 2035. In the Philippines, over 6 million Filipinos are diagnosed to have diabetes, as declared by the Philippine Center for Diabetes Education Foundation in 2016. It is also estimated that about an equal number have the disease but do not know it, according to the International Diabetes Federation.
Meanwhile, the vast majority of individuals with type 2 diabetes – roughly 80 percent – are considered obese, highlighting the strong association between the two. That doesn’t necessarily mean that all obese folks will develop diabetes; they won’t. But according to research conducted by the National Center for Biotechnology Information, it does suggest a pretty direct connection, one that will only get deeper over time. In a study commissioned by Asia Roundtable on Food Innovation for Improved Nutrition (ARoFIIN) through The Economist Intelligence Unit, the Philippines in 2014 recorded an obesity prevalence of 5.1 percent, with 23.6 percent of Filipino adults being overweight and with 24 percent increase between 2010 and 2014. This amount was said to have been the result of a spike in incidence of related non-communicable diseases such as Type 2 Diabetes.
This challenge is arguably the worst among women. According to the International Diabetes Federation, there are currently upwards of 199 million women living with diabetes globally, a number projected to jump to 313 million by 2040. Two out of every five women with diabetes are of reproductive age. Women with diabetes are nearly 10 times more likely to have a coronary heart condition than women without it, and the disease is the ninth leading cause of death for women around the world.
All told, the impact of the diabesity epidemic is substantial, causing health problems such as: long-range diabetic complications; reduction in heart-related functioning; lower quality of life; decreased life expectancy; and greater frequency of strokes
Diabesity is draining our economies as well. In the Philippines, PhilHealth spent around P8 billion in 2017 to assist patients undergoing dialysis, the majority of whom were diabetics. This is a frequent, sad story among diabetics—they never realize they are diabetic until they are rushed to the hospital for serious complications like heart attack, kidney failure, stroke or a gangrenous foot.
Another example, at Malta, an island where rates of diabetes and obesity are extremely high. One study found that both afflictions accounted for an exponentially rising portion of family and public budgets.
Or look at the United States, where diabetes takes up 14 percent of our overall health expenditures, and obesity accounts for nearly 6 percent – totaling the highest known spending on diabesity anywhere.
Gallup and Sharecare recently published a report showing more alarming statistics on diabetes and obesity. Using a 10-year comparative analysis, they found that the rates of obesity and diabetes did not decline in any US state.
Rather, the rate of adults with diabetes rose from 10.8% in 2008-09 to 11.5% in 2016-17, resulting in 1.7 million more Americans with diabetes in less than a decade.
In another significant IDF statistics, around 50,000 diabetic Filipinos died that same year due to diabetes-related complications like heart attack, stroke, and kidney and heart failure. If nothing is done to stem the alarming trend, the prevalence of diabetes is expected to soar to 20 percent by the year 2045, and more than 100,000 Filipinos would be dying every year due to its complications.
Simply put, the numbers, stats, facts and figures continue to reinforce what we already know: in nations large and small, the diabesity crisis is real; it’s pressing; and it’s up to us to take steps in early detection, screening, prevention, health management, and personal behavior to reverse this trend once and for all.
Reducing Diabesity: The Answers Start with Us
Anytime an epidemic of this magnitude stares us in the face, we tend to search high and low for a magic bullet to end it and get ourselves back on track. In the case of diabesity, there’s nothing magical about what we have to do.
The answer is pretty simple: Eat better and exercise more.
I know. Easier said than done. But it’s absolutely true, and it shouldn’t have to be all that complicated.
Simply put, a diabesity diet is all about of making healthier decisions about what we buy at the grocery store and being mindful of what we eat.
Here are some basic principles to combat diabesity:
Make fruits and vegetables mandatory in your diet, as they can reduce the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Avoid soft drinks that are obscenely high in sugar.
Avoid packaged foods that are chock-full of salt, saturated fats, and chemical preservatives.
Incorporate a nice balance of fish, lean meats, and soy protein.
Make fiber a daily part of your diet.
All of this will significantly decrease the possibility of being overweight or diabetic.
Pairing the Diabesity Diet with Exercise
Inactivity, according to the World Health Organization, is the leading cause of death globally, followed by high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and tobacco use. It also costs the American health system more than $100 billion per year and exposes individuals to a higher likelihood of death than smoking, obesity, hyperextension, or high cholesterol. In a similar note, Diabetes is the 6th leading cause of death among Filipinos according to the Philippine Health Statistics.
Most studies show that the way to change course isn’t all that taxing. Just 150 minutes of moderately intense physical activity or exercise each week can do the trick. That’s 20-25 minutes a day. By doing that much, you can help increase blood flow to your muscles and give yourself long-term protection from cardiovascular disease.
Here’s the bottom line: exercise truly is another form of medicine. It should be part of our routines from childhood through old age. And combined with improvements to what we consume at mealtime, there’s no doubt that we can start building a healthier country and planet in the years and decades ahead.
A healthy, active lifestyle is key to not only reducing, but preventing diabesity.
