Health Check Ep 72: Don't let diabetes sneak up on you

17:10 mins

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

In this pandemic, many people may be eating more and exercising less. It's not a good combination. The prevalence of obesity in Singapore across all ages has risen from 8.6 per cent in 2017 to 10.5 per cent last year. Not only is obesity a leading risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, it is also one of the factors that can cause one to have more serious complications when infected with Covid-19.

In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks with Dr Asim Shabbir, a senior consultant and the Head of General Surgery at Alexandra Hospital, who has a special interest in bariatric and metabolic surgery.

0:00 Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):

1:03 Singapore's diabetes situation outlook in 2021, challenge of obesity and more Asians getting diabetes at a younger age

3:40 Early diagnosis as more people put on weight during this pandemic: Key interventions include being able to manage glucose levels, reducing weight to prolong normal abilities of pancreas, avoiding loss of limbs later in life

6:40 Dr Asim's dietary suggestions and advice on consuming supplements

7:39 Whether it's a good idea for people with diabetes to pop a supplement to boost their immunity or if they should get a flu jab?

10:30 Why exercising is more profound for our bodies than just seeing it as a way to burn calories; how medical interventions such as bariatric surgery can add as much as 10 years to a patient's life expectancy

Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis and Fa'izah Sani

Edited by: Hadyu Rahim

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