This World Health Day, 'cycle' away from diabetes

With the number of diabetics quadrupling to 422 million over 35 years, the World Health Organization (WHO) is celebrating its birthday by focusing on the world's no. 1 killer disease under the theme, 'Beat diabetes.'

As per WHO, the world is facing an 'unrelenting march' of the disease that now affects nearly one in 11 people and so, it is of the utmost importance that we keep keep our blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible. There are a numerous ways of keeping the deadly disease at bay or under control, but the most effective one is to make exercise, yoga and meditation a part of your daily regimen. You may want to dust off your bike or buy a new bicycle as according to science, diabetics might be better off choosing cycling for exercise rather than walking.

Mr Shiv Inder Singh, CEO, Firefox Bikes said, "According to a study, people in India, who walk or cycle to work are less likely to be overweight or obese, have diabetes or high blood pressure. Half of people who travelled to work by private transport and 38 per cent who took public transport were overweight, compared with only a quarter of people who walked or cycled to work." He further noted, "Riding a bike is great for toning and building your muscles, especially in the lower half of the body - your calves, your thighs, and your rear end. It's also a great low-impact mode of exercise for those with joint conditions. Cycling on a regular basis is the key to a healthy life.?
According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 415 million people have diabetes in the world and 78 million people in the South East Asia Region and by 2040 this will rise to 140 million. There were 69.1 million cases of diabetes in India in 2015.there were 69.1 million cases of diabetes in India in 2015.

In 2012, the disease killed over 1.5 million people in India and number is alarmingly rising. IDF has raised a serious alarm for India by saying that nearly 52 percent of Indians aren't aware that they are suffering from high blood sugar. India is presently home to 62 million diabetics, an increase of nearly 2 million in just one year. India is second only to China, which is home to 92.3 million diabetics. By 2030, India's diabetes numbers are expected to cross the 100 million mark. India is also way ahead when it comes to number of diabetics when compared to its immediate neighbours.

World Health Organisation( WHO) has labeled India as the country with the largest growing population of 25 million diabetes patients. So it is high time for us to wake up.