If you have diabetes, does this mean you have to give up the joy of eating?
This perception is “completely false” according to Dr. Amal Makhloufi Benchouk, Country Lead of Sanofi Philippines, as she responded to the question of BusinessMirror’s Health and Fitness in a recent online roundtable discussion.
Dr. Makhloufi is the elected European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) Chair for Health and has spoken in several engagements to highlight how new technologies and holistic health care greatly impact the quality of life of patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes.
“I think this is the first fear of a patient with diabetes [giving up their favorite food], they have the perception that if you get diabetes, you will not anymore enjoy eating which is completely false. It is not true,” Dr. Makhloufi said.
A patient with diabetes, she said, should improve their lifestyle.
“What does this mean? Eating in moderation, eating healthily by eating more dietary fiber like fruits, vegetables, whole grains. They may also have an alternative to white rice such brown or black rice. We have to avoid high sugar intake like ice cream, fruit juice, soda drinks, cakes. I know all Filipinos love this kind of food,” she added.
Discipline is also important if you have diabetes.
“Avoid tobacco, alcohol and more importantly get regular physical exercise and maintain a healthy weight. As long as blood sugar is under control persons with diabetes can lead a normal life,” she emphasized.
Insulin
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, a milestone in the field of diabetes care as the condition was once considered untreatable and fatal prior to the use of insulin in the treatment of patients in 1921.
“The discovery of insulin marked a turning point that changed the lives of countless diabetes patients,” said Dr. Makhloufi.
As one of the leading companies specializing in the treatment of chronic diseases, Sanofi has a storied history of supporting people living with diabetes and providing innovative and holistic solutions.
“The story of insulin is one of progress and is interwoven with our own. From the landmark discovery of insulin a century ago, we’ve been a pioneering power behind its success as a transformative treatment for diabetes,” she shared.
And in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Insulin, Sanofi aims to improve access to care for patients with diabetes through the initiation of various programs and partnerships:
Empower program, a patient support program that provides continuous care and medical education for Persons with Diabetes, as well as Diabetes Educators who will stay in constant touch and do weekly check-ins;
INSPIRE program, a capacity-building program for health-care professionals especially in primary care, making training available digitally to improve access to information;
Launching WeHealth, an eHealth ecosystem that connects patients and doctors as we navigate the new normal; and
Pursuing initial discussions for collaborations with leading health-care organizations, such as Ayala Healthcare to improve the accessibility of insulin for diabetes patients.
“We are making innovative health solutions more accessible. We endeavor to upscale the diabetes treatment from human insulin to newer analogue insulin by significantly improving affordability,” Dr. Makhloufi said.
However despite the advances in insulinization and diabetes treatments, the prevalence of diabetes continued to increase at an alarming rate all over the world. In the Philippines, diabetes is among the top 10 leading causes of death among Filipinos and the numbers continue to rise.
There are about 3.7 million diabetic Filipinos, and this number is expected to double in the next 5 years. Among them, only 34 percent are diagnosed, 27 percent are treated and only 11 percent are on insulin. Among those treated, less than 50 percent are able to manage or control their disease,” she lamented.
“Globally, we see a huge number of people with diabetes. This number will increase from 463 million today to 700 million in 2045. That’s one out of 11 adults who have the condition. Majority of people with diabetes live in low and middle income countries. All over the world, one life is lost every seven seconds because of diabetes and its complications,” she added.
Moreover, there is a well-documented stigma towards insulinization that influences patients to delay or forgo treatment, potentially affecting their quality of life in the long term.
“The fear of insulin is usually because of two things. First, the fear of injections and needles; and second, the idea that insulin is seen as a last resort treatment for diabetes in the advanced stages,” she noted.
However, research has shown that controlling high blood sugar sooner leads to better outcomes and reduces risks of complications such as blindness, amputations, heart disease and stroke in people with type 2 diabetes. There are benefits in giving insulin early, depending on the patient’s needs.
“With the advancements and newer technology developed for insulin pens, in this day and age, injecting insulin has become easier, more convenient and less painful. More importantly, the discovery of Insulin proved that diabetes is not a death sentence and you can write your story. So let’s keep the story going, for another 100 years and beyond,” she explained.