EDITORIAL - Beating diabetes and other NCDs

Over the last couple weeks there has been much talk among Barbadians and reports in the various media about sweetened beverages and the impact they have been having on the society; and rightly so, it could be argued, as our country is one that cannot afford for any more of our people to develop diabetes.

 

Barbados has been known to perform over 200 diabetes-related amputations a year, making some say that this country is the amputation capital of the world. Whether this is true or not, what is 

certain is that in this country, the incidence of diabetes-related amputations is really too high. To ensure then that we can bring those figures down, patients and indeed Barbadians in general need to become au fait with the disease, understanding clearly what they must do to better manage it and also what steps they should be taking to care for their feet.

 

We say Barbadians in general, because this country has one of the highest per capita rates of diabetes, with 20 per cent of the adult population being diabetic. So one could argue that most, if not all of us have a close family member who has diabetes, and so we too are at risk and must make the effort to eat healthy and exercise in order to ward off that dreaded diagnosis.

 

So what we eat is important, but quite often persons have no real understanding of the calories they are consuming or the quantity of carbohydrates, sugar or salt, or for that matter even cholesterol. While then we commend Government for implementing a 10 per cent tax on imported and locally produced sweetened beverages, we think that perhaps they have to go a step farther, making the tax higher to make persons think twice about having that sweet drink. Perhaps, too, such a tax could also be imposed on sweetened foods, as well as products with a high salt content, to encourage persons to eat healthier. This is needed as both diabetes and hypertension can lead to kidney failure, which would cause Government’s already costly bill for dialysis to increase.

 

It could be construed that if persons are required to pay more for sweet or salty food products, they may be more inclined to choose a healthier option, and then we would not have to battle the problems of obesity and overweight, which are affecting over 30 per cent of our population. Our lawmakers must recognise they have a duty to protect our people, and strike a balance between the health of the nation and the wealth of the private sector that provides the food that is either made locally or imported; understanding too, that the wealth of the nation depends on the health of the people.

 

In this vein, we reiterate our call for local food manufacturers and food establishments to provide nutritional information on their products by way of labelling and on their websites. Moreover, we suggest that it be mandated that any product imported for consumption should also include such labels. It is equally imperative that person are made to understand those labels, especially that in most cases the calories, sugar and the like are identified per serving and are not indicative of the whole product.

 

Such steps should help to ensure that people make informed decisions about their consumption choices, hopefully leading to a healthier Barbados.