KOTA KINABALU: Nutritional supplements do not reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes, Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Department of Internal Medicine consultant physician Dr Nerenthran Loganathan warned.
Therefore, the public should not fall for the sales pitch of those offering nutritional supplements, especially those in the direct selling category, he said.
Fad diets should also be avoided as not only are they detrimental to a person’s health but they are also expensive.
People with diabetes should also avoid taking herbal supplements as some of these products are tainted with medication such as steroids, he said at a public forum on diabetes here yesterday.
“It is not advisable for diabetics to take herbal supplements as the products may affect the absorption of your medication and decrease the effectiveness of the drug,” he said of herbal preparations that are targeted at people with diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.
“There are no clear clinical trials to prove that these supplements regress the disease’s progress. In fact, the Ministry of Health has on its website a list of these herbal preparations so those in doubt can verify it on line,” he said.
Diabetes, can be controlled if diagnosed early and when the patient adopts a healthy lifestyle, he said but stressed that first, the person must not be in denial that he or she has diabetes.
After they accept that they have the disease, they must seek medical help to control the situation and most importantly, change their lifestyle as well as eating habits.
According to Dr Nerenthran, a change of lifestyle can reduce the risk of getting diabetes by almost 60 per cent.
“So exercise and have a balanced diet. Manage your weight and those overweight should lose their excess pounds because losing one to two pounds a week can make a difference. Try to work out at least 30 minutes seven days a week or 10 minutes three times a day.
“But please get a physician’s advice before starting any physical activity and you must also decide on which activity that suits your lifestyle as well as body condition. In fact, even doing house chores like mopping the house or vacuuming is good exercise and can burn calories,” he said.
For the morbid obese, losing weight is difficult and the last option that they can consider to lose weight is undergoing Bariatic surgery such as gastric bypass or the BIB where an intra gastric balloon is inserted in the stomach for six months and later removed, Dr Nerenthran said.
Sabah, he disclosed is the first centre in Sabah to conduct the BIB surgery two years ago.
“Prevention of diabetes can be done and it should start from home so parents must inculcate a healthy lifestyle and good eating habits in their children,” he said.