Burden of diabetes

     In Viet Nam, the prevalence of diabetes is growing at alarming rates and has almost doubled within the past 10 years. Currently, it’s estimated that one in every 17 Vietnamese adults has diabetes. In addition, the number of people with a pre-diabetic condition is three times higher than those with diabetes. Urbanization, population aging, elevated adiposity, and physical inactivity appear to be important contributors to the increasing prevalence of diabetes in Vietnam.

     Severe complications, such as feet ulcers, gangrene and resulting amputations, cardiovascular diseases, blindness and kidney failures are common in diabetic patients. These complications are the main causes of death and disability for people with diabetes. It’s estimated that more than 53,458 deaths are attributed to diabetes annually in Viet Nam.

     Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar.

     There are 2 main forms of the diabetes: Type 1 diabetes, once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes, is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin by itself. Type 2 diabetes, the more common type, is usually seen in adults and occurs when the body becomes resistant to insulin or doesn't make enough of it. Diabetes can result in severe complications such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness and nerve damage in the feet that can lead to limb amputations.

A diabetes patient with severe feet ulcers is being examined by a doctor at the National Hospital for Endocrinology in Hanoi

Behavioral risk factors contribute to diabetes

     A number of behavioral risk factors contribute to diabetes, such as obesity, smoking, alcohol-abuse, unhealthy diet and insufficient physical activity. Therefore, a large proportion of diabetes cases are preventable. Simple lifestyle measures have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. Maintaining normal body weight, engaging in regular physical activity, and eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes. The same measures help control and manage the disease to prevent complications. 
     In Viet Nam, these risk factors are observed among large parts of the population. According to a national survey, approximately 50% of adult men smoke; more than 25% of male drinkers consume alcohol at harmful levels; 80 % of Vietnamese men and women consume less than 5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day and nearly 30% of the population is physically inactive. Obesity is an important risk factor for diabetes. Although obesity in Viet Nam is not very common, the trend is increasing, especially in children. According to the National Institute of Nutrition, overweight and obesity in primary school children in Ha Noi increased to 40.7%. However, In Viet Nam, diabetes is common even in non-obese individuals.

     As Viet Nam continues to develop as a middle income country, where the average income increases and rapid urbanization happens, unhealthy diet and sedentary lifestyles will become much more common. These will further increase the risk for diabetes.

A Vietnamese man smoking in a restaurant

     The problem is that people have a lack of awareness about diabetes, its symptoms and ways to prevent. At the early stage, symptoms develop slowly and often people go on for years without knowing they have diabetes. It is estimated that more than 50% of patients with diabetes in Viet Nam are unaware of their condition. Doctors recommend to undergo a medical examination and make blood tests semiannually to monitor your blood sugar level.

     Nutritionists recommend not to wait, but to care about diabetes prevention when you are still healthy. Diet rich in pectin helps to prevent and is applied as a part of auxiliary treatment of diabtes Type 2.

What is pectin and how can it help to prevent diabetes?

     Pectin is a fiber with demonstrated health benefits such as the ability to lower blood glucose and cholesterol, increased satiety leading to lower caloric intake and improved insulin resistance. These benefits suggest that pectin helps in prevention and treatment of diseases such as diabetes and obesity. 

     In Vietnam you can buy PECTIN COMPLEX - a Ukrainian premium quality health supplement that is recommended for consumption by the National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health of Vietnam.

     PECTIN COMPLEX consists of highly purified medical grade sugar beet pectin and apple pectin that are famous for their ability to eliminate from the body excess unhealthy substances and regulate carbohydrate and fat metabolism, normalizing levels of sugar and cholesterol in the body and preventing diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular diseases.

PECTIN COMPLEX - your healthy choice!