Prof. Dr. Alphan: “The quantity of food consumed is very important for diabetic patients”
Prof. Dr. Emel Alphan, Head of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Okan University, emphasizes the importance of food consumption amounts in diabetes.
According to the 2010 Turkey Diabetes Epidemiology Prevalence Study-II (TURDEP-II), the prevalence of diabetes in Turkey was 13.7%, and more than 90% of these cases were Type 2 Diabetes. It has been found through scientific studies that in Turkey, while there are over 7 million people with diabetes, approximately 3 million people are unaware that they are diabetic. The prevalence of diabetes has been increasing rapidly in parallel with the rise of obesity, and it has been revealed that one out of every five individuals over the age of 20 is diabetic.
“We can even give sugar to diabetics”
Prof. Dr. Emel Alphan stated that nutritional therapy is of great importance in diabetes and that diabetic patients must be educated about diabetes in order to monitor themselves. She noted that even sugar can be given to those diabetics who are able to keep their blood glucose levels under control. “The main principle of nutritional therapy in diabetes is to know very well which foods should be eaten, in what amounts, and at what times,” said Prof. Dr. Alphan. She explained that what raises blood glucose levels is the amount of carbohydrates consumed and emphasized that carbohydrate intake at meals should be carefully monitored.
“Patients struggle with prohibitions”
Prof. Dr. Alphan pointed out that diabetes has been mentioned since before the Common Era and that diabetic patients are often misinformed. She explained that due to misinformation, patients face numerous prohibitions. “When confronted with so many restrictions, patients often stop following their diets. However, the diet for diabetes is essentially the healthy eating pattern that everyone should follow,” she said. Highlighting the misconception that “we can eat whatever we want if we take insulin,” Prof. Dr. Alphan stressed that this is wrong. She reminded that physical activity reduces insulin resistance and emphasized that regular exercise is recommended as an important component of diabetes treatment.