Impressive new advances in diabetes treatments hold promise for patients, but at the end of the day, no treatment is as effective as good lifestyle management, like healthy eating and regular exercise.
That was one of the key messages delivered last week by visiting diabetes expert Dr. Luigi Meneghini of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami.
It was a timely message, coming after recent reports that rates of obesity – and its common bedfellow, diabetes – are spiraling in the Cayman Islands, as they are globally.
Mr. Meneghini was a guest of the Cayman Islands Diabetes Support Group. He gave presentations to both patients and physicians on the latest advances in diabetes and patient care.
He told the Caymanian Compass Friday that lifestyle changes are key in any diabetes treatment regimens, and that diabetes medicines, although very important, should not be used to compensate for lifestyle inadequacies.
‘One patient said to me ‘my blood-sugar is poorly controlled so I started on medication. Now, my blood sugar is controlled so I have started eating ice-cream again’,’ Mr. Meneghini lamented.
‘There are a lot of people, that if they were to exercise regularly and watch what they eat, they would be able to actually come off medications.’
But not all patients can rely on exercise and diet alone. With rates of diabetes on the rise, the number of treatments available has proliferated.
New therapies
At Friday’s gathering of local health professionals, Mr. Meneghini detailed a number of these new treatments, including a new generation of medicines, known as incretin therapies, that are helping patients control their blood-sugar levels and lose weight simultaneously.
That’s a huge development, Mr. Meneghini explained, because previous treatments have tended to cause weight gain.
There are also early indications that incretin therapies could have promise is slowing the insulin secretion loss that occurs over time in diabetes patients.
Mr. Meneghini was also keen to impress on gathered health professionals the importance of empowering patients to co-manage their conditions. He cited a recent study that found that patients that monitor their blood-sugar and insulin levels and adjust their treatment accordingly can achieve similar results to when a doctor is predominately calling the shots.
With spiraling rates of diabetes having the potential to over-burden medical resources, it is an important message for Mr. Meneghini.
‘Patient empowerment is key. If you have patients that understand their disease process, that understand what you are trying to achieve and how they are going to be able to achieve it, you get better diabetes control than in patients that are just relying on somebody else to do it for them.’
Patient education and empowerment is exactly what the Cayman Islands Diabetes Support Group is all about, said coordinator Christina Rowlandson. Being able to attract experts like Mr. Meneghini is a crucial component in achieving that, she noted.
‘It’s so valuable to have Dr. Meneghini down to talk to patients, as well as doctors and nurses in the Cayman Islands that are seeing diabetics on a regular basis,’ she said.
The visit was financially supported by the Health Insurance Commission, CINICO, and private gifts and also received the support of Cayman Islands Medical and Dental Society and Cayman’s hospitals and clinics.
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