Diabetes (India's Invisible Enemy)

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Dr. ( Lakshminarayan acquired his MD degree from the prestigious Mysore University. and a Graduate Dip!ornate in Diabetes Care from The University of New Castle, Australia.

Born in a remote village into an agricultural family, he sacrificed a prestigious Faculty position at the Bangalore Medical College to go back to his rural roots and serve the underprivileged. His vision helped him identify the rising tide of diabetes in India, and he proceeded to acquire higher education in diabetes care. Since then he has been striving selflessly to educate the public about the diabetes epidemic in India through the mass media volunteering his time on television, radio and print media. He is also caring for the sickest diabetics at his center, often times free of cost, and has earned the sobriquet "Common man's sweet doctor'

To raise awareness on diabetes he authored a Kannada book titled "Madhumeha - Dashavyadhigala Moola", which earned the -Supreme Medical Literature Script" award in 2011 from P S.Shankara Prathishtana.

In 2013, in recognition of his unparalleled efforts in serving the poor, especially in the field of diabetes, Government of Karnataka awarded him the prestigious "Rajyotsava Award" in the field of Medicine. which is the highest recognition accorded by State of Karnataka.

Recognising the vast service to the society and achievements in the medical field, Kuvempu University conferred the degree of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Cause) on Dr. V Lakshminarayan on 24th March 2016.

Recognizing his highest standards of ethical conduct, integrity and social responsibility, he has been honoured with the 2017 "Dr B.R Ambedkar National Award" in the Medical Category for "Work of Excellence".

Dr Sooraj Tejaswi, is the Director of the Gastroenterology Fellow-ship program and Associate Professor of Gastroenterology at the University of California, Davis, a leading research and teaching institution in the world He has a successful track record of academic excellence highlighted by securing the 8th rank in the class X (SSLC) examination in Karnataka, recipient of the "National Scholar" award upon clearing the National Talent Search Exam (NTSE) MBBS degree from the prestigious Mysuru Medical College, Master's in Public Health degree from the Ohio State University, USA, postgraduate training (residency) in internal medicine and fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology in Chicago, USA His work at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, as a recipient of the Indian Academy of Sciences Research Scholarship, led to widely cited scientific articles in the field of diabetes His current research is focused on health issues affecting the Indian diaspora.

India is a great country with a glorious history. Ancient India was at the forefront of science. Our ancient ayurvedic treatise Charaka Samhitha described the 4 cardinal principles to prevent lifestyle related diseases such as diabetes as far back as 3000 years ago, namely "achar, ahar, vyayam and yoga". However, today India unintentionally finds itself bang in the center of the diabetes epidemic. As of November 2015, India had 69.2 million diabetics. This is more than the combined diabetic population in USA, Russia, Brazil, Japan and Mexico! But the actual number may be much higher, as it is suspected that up to 60% of diabetics in India remain undiagnosed. By 2040, India is projected to bear the burden of 123.5 million diabetics. Indians are not only 2-3 times more likely to develop diabetes than Caucasians, but will develop diabetes 10 years earlier than people of other races.

Diabetes is a disease that spares no organ in the body. Diabetics are 3 times more likely to have high blood pressure, 4 times more likely to die from a heart attack, and 4 times more likely to have a stroke. Diabetes is particularly hard on the Indian kidneys causing kidney failure at a 10-40 times higher rate than Caucasians. On a more sensitive note, diabetic men are 3 times more likely to develop erectile problems, and they do so 10 years earlier than non-diabetics.

Today, diabetes is no longer a disease of just the rich and old. Type 2 diabetes, which is usually diagnosed at the age of 40-50 years, is now being reported in kids as young as 9! In fact, Indian kids develop diabetes at an 11 times higher rate than Caucasian children in Brit*. Youth account for 70% of India's population. If status quo prevails, a large chunk of them will go on to suffer from diabetes, and hence cripple our country's future.

Diabetes is not a disease limited by a country's borders, and has followed Indians to every part of the globe. Indians are the fastest growing minority in the USA, and are the rd largest ethnic group in Britain after Caucasians. They have double the rate of diabetes compares to Whites

Thus, whether we like it or not, diabetes is at everyone's doorstep today. Look around you, and you will see a friend, family member, neighbour or co-worker struggling with diabetes.

Diabetes is undoubtedly the biggest health challenge facing India, and Indians in any part of the world. It is a consequence of our own making, and left unchecked will turn into the greatest man-made health disaster of our times. We have deviated from the lifestyle prescribed in our ancient scriptures, which advocate a positive mindset, active lifestyle and moderation in life. Nowadays, our lives are not in harmony with the laws of nature. We are either overeating or eating the wrong food. We are sedentary either by choice or compulsions of a big city life. In short, we are struggling to cope with the stresses of modern of life.

Unfortunately, this major public crisis is not getting the attention it warrants. In our effort to fight this epidemic, we have meticulously combed through the entire scientific literature to identify research work that specifically addresses diabetes and its related problems affecting the Indian population. We have drawn on the 15-years of professional experience in treating patients with diabetes, the diabetes research experience gained at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and research conducted at the Sreehari Diabetes and Research Center Mysore, and the diabetes education acquired at the University of New Castle, Australia, in authoring this book. The content is this book is spread over 26 chapters, divided into 3 sections- the fundamentals of diabetes, the 10 major complications of diabetes, and the solutions to the diabetes menace.

We have highlighted simple, but very effective measures to counter diabetes. For example, eating a diet that contains complex carbohydrates (whole grains, vegetable, and fruits) instead of simple sugars (Coke, Pepsi, sweets, maida, polished rice, etc) causes less stress on the pancreas. Eating a plant-based protein diet (dais, peas, nuts, seeds, etc) leads to less hunger, and consequently, better blood sugar control. Healthy fats (mono and poly unsaturated fats) in moderation are both essential and beneficial for health. On the contrary, the so-called "fat free" foods are likely to lead to poor diabetes control! The spices we routinely use in our kitchen (Indian pices - jeera, methi, sarson, kali mirch, etc) tend to lower our blood sugar and cholesterol levels. A healthy diet, combined with regular physical activity can reduce the risk of diabetes by 71%! For every kilogram of excess weight that you burn, the risk of diabetes falls by 16%. Yoga reduces blood sugar levels within hours, and leads to sustained benefits by as early as 3 months. This book is packed with many such facts and figures, which will bring diabetes prevention and control within the grasp of every Indian.

**Contents and Sample Pages**