oType 1 Diabetes occurs where there is little to no production of insulin. About 10% of the diabetic population has type 1 diabetes.
oType 2 Diabetes where there is a decreased production of insulin. It is the most common form of diabetes and occurs in about 90% of the population.
oGestational Diabetes occurs during the 23 to 28th week of pregnancy. It is marked by hyperglycemia or increased blood sugar levels which usually disappears away once the baby is delivered. Such females and their offspring develop type 2 diabetes at a later stage in life1.
Improper lifestyle with lack of awareness about diabetes and its complications, delayed diagnosis, increasing urbanization, risk factors such as sedentary lifestyle and improper diet, account for the escalating rates of type 2 diabetes worldwide.
Global numbers of diabetes prevalence have continuously risen from 151 million in 2000, when the IDF Diabetes Atlas first was launched, to 285 million in 2009 and 382 million in 2013. In the year 2017, the number of people with diabetes was 424.9 million which is estimated to increase to 628.6 million by the year 2045. In this context, 50% of individuals with diabetes are undiagnosed, especially in developing countries2.
Type 2 diabetes is preventable through early diagnosis and lifestyle interventions. Insulin resistance and prediabetes are recognized as preconditions that could be managed through medical nutrition therapy early in the life cycle of an individual to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes.
For early screening of diabetes or prediabetes, the Madras Diabetes Foundation has developed an Indian Diabetes Risk Score tool(IDRS) for identifying undiagnosed subjects with diabetes in India. This tool is useful in making screening programs more cost-effective and can also be used in several national programs not only for the prevention of diabetes but also in cardiometabolic diseases such as stroke. The IDRS tool is also applicable in identifying the prevalence of diabetes-related complications such as coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, and neuropathy among type 2 diabetes individuals.
The tool uses four parameters: age, abdominal obesity, family history of diabetes, and physical activity to diagnose type 2 diabetes mellitus and also to distinguish diabetics from nondiabetics.
Based on a questionnaire a maximum score of 100 is allowed for the above-mentioned categories. The results of the tool are as follows.
Individuals with an IDRS of less than 30 are categorized as low risk whereas a score of 30-50 is considered a medium risk and a score of more than 60 is at high risk for developing diabetes.
Similarly, individuals with a waist circumference greater than 90 cm, a sedentary lifestyle, and a family history of diabetes are at high risk of diabetes.
Besides this, if the IDRS score is limited to 50 and above for persons with blood sugar testing then diabetes and prediabetes could be identified in more than 90% of Indian..
For one, a healthy diabetic diet indian should include more fibre-rich foods, proteins and good quality carbs.
