“Sugar is as addictive as cocaine and cigarettes,” said Deputy Medical Director, National Diabetes Centre, Dr. Chamari Warnapura, sounding a strong warning at the YOUTEEN forum held by the Zonta Club of Colombo II last month. Dr. Warnapura pointed out that cigarettes take a life every 6 seconds – the same amount as sugar.

She feels that the rise in diabetes among children that we see today is due to the unhealthy lifestyle which comes with modern-day living. Pointing out the fact that diabetes has reached a pandemic level which has surpassed HIV prevalence, she stressed that diabetes is also incurable and therefore must be prevented.

Diabetes is caused when the body produces low insulin. Ingested carbohydrates break down into smaller molecules and eventually glucose, which is the fuel for cell function. When the glucose rises, the pancreas produces insulin which reduces blood sugar and drives glucose into cells, sending the excess glucose to the liver to be stored. If the body’s production of insulin isn’t adequate to manage the sugar intake, it creates diabetes, explained Dr. Warnapura.

25g, or 6 tsp of sugar is the recommended daily intake, which is far exceeded by most soft drinks and juices in the market, she points out.A person’s normal Fasting Blood Sugar level should be less than 110 mg/dL. From the DIABRISK study done for people with a high risk of diabetes, the centre found that 50% of the identified pre-diabetic group went back to normal blood sugar levels following lifestyle modifications.

Dr. Warnapura urged people to be more careful in their food intake, which will lead to a decrease in the diabetes epidemic.

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