The Hindu Business Line : Staying within limit

If God had to give one disease to every human being, I pray it is diabetes," says Ravikumar Parthasarathy. As you look stumped, he smiles before explaining: "Diabetes is a beautiful lifestyle disease that helps you moderate your life. Today we have developed so many gadgets and turned into slobs. We don't sit erect anymore; we plonk ourselves deep into the beanbag... God created us as hunters and gatherers... But we have tamed agriculture, we eat beyond limit, and don't burn it out sufficiently," says the man who has Type 2 or non-insulin dependant diabetes.

He feels that diabetes compels a person to make simple changes in his lifestyle that can extend his life span and help avoid, or at least postpone, the onset of complications.

It was four years ago on his 40th birthday, when Parthasarathy underwent tests for a fever, that he was also tested for sugar. When the doctors discovered an alarming level of glucose in his blood — around 435 mg/decilitre — they were shocked and the patient was was puzzled.

Because this Chennai-based business consultant leads anything but a sedentary life. A specialist in franchising and family owned businesses, he teaches at colleges and trains corporate professionals in soft skills and finance management. He also played a lot of sports.

Being a vegetarian, non-smoker and teetotaller, diabetes would have been the last disease he could have suspected. Nevertheless, the symptoms had been around for a while — tiredness, blurred vision, irritation and frequent urination at night.

"I became a slob, dozing off anytime. I also lost my cool easily. I am basically cheerful and make everyone laugh, but suddenly I became fidgety. My productivity at work fell 30-35 per cent. I used to quickly run through chapters that I earlier liked to spend time on."

Yet he had ignored the telltale evidence and the doctors too treated only his general symptoms.

Later, as he lay on a bed at MV Diabetes Hospital, Chennai, reality dawned on him. He then wondered how a literate man like him could have remained so ignorant despite having all the classic symptoms of the disorder. He suddenly felt like a middle-aged man. "First thing the doctors say is: `no to this, no for that.' This puts you off, but soon you mellow down."

He subsequently learnt that the biggest cause for blindness in India is diabetes. Another 30,000 diabetic people lose their feet every year. According to the American Diabetes Association, if you have a coronary problem and are diabetic, you are already "one heart-attack old" - - like a handicap in golf.

Genetic predisposition (his parents, uncle and grandfather are diabetic), triggered by bad eating habits, perhaps paved the way for his diabetes.

It was while living overseas that Parthasarathy became a victim of a faulty lifestyle. "You are exposed to a lot of processed and refined food, and you tend to eat a lot. I soon developed a belly, but I prided on it as a mark of affluence. Also, in our society there is social pressure to eat a lot," jokes Parthasarathy. Add to this the gallons of carbonated drinks he was gulping. "Pure poison," he says, shaking his head.

The initial days after diagnosis were hard on him — he began lying to his family and stealing food from his own refrigerator. He couldn't resist his favourite icecream either. But soon maturity and reason prevailed. Today, his daily regimen smacks of great discipline — a mixture of healthy eating habits and vigorous physical activity.

"It is sensible to avoid dishes that don't suit your system. I try and regulate my intake, because I don't have mental control. I love what I see — be it icecream or sweets," he says .

But once in a while he indulges in Mysore pak. "My wife gives me half a piece in the morning and half in the evening. If everyone else in the family eats and you don't, it creates a craving for food and you begin to cheat. I learnt the art of quality over quantity. It's not abstinence. The key word is moderation."

He also learnt the art of spacing his meals. Every 3-4 hours, he eats something in small quantities instead of fasting for long hours or eating at "ungodly hours." His diet includes salads or vegetables in the morning, rice or rotis for lunch and dinner, and a dry snack or biscuits in the evening.

If sports was a pastime earlier, today it has become a regular activity. "There is not a day when I don't do some physical activity — rain or shine," he says. Since he hates regimentation and monotony, he introduces variety in his schedule — walking, yoga, workouts or squash.

But how does he manage at work, which requires him to travel a lot? "There is something to eat anywhere in the world. You learn to work around things and find methods of living near-normal lives," is his response.

Regular visits to his diabetologist is another must, he says. As also regular eye check-up. Today, his sugar is under control and the symptoms of diabetes non-existent.

As a social initiative, Parthasarathy runs diabetes clinics in Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad to provide comprehensive care and spread awareness.

Diabetes awareness includes educating the family, which is equally affected by the dos and don'ts. And a supportive family can work wonders in motivating a diabetic to adhere to his routine... whether it is regular check-up, a regulated diet or daily exercise. In his case while his wife took care of his diet his children too co-operated by not asking for sweets too often. "Chocolates were probably consumed while I was away at work, so that they didn't tempt me," he says.

Today, he asks his children to be careful about their sweet intake as genetically they have a high predisposition for diabetes.

Carbonated drinks are shunned in his house. "My children won't touch potato chips. Instead, we go for natural foods. My wife introduces a lot of variety in traditional cuisine andmy children don't complain... in fact they like the classical taste."

South Indian diet, he says, is beautifully balanced. "We have several delicacies such as sundakkai vathhal, Kanjeepuram idli, murukku and thengozhal. Any protein, mineral, anti-oxidant, micronutrient, our diet carries it."

Referring to Vedanta Desikar's Ahara Niyamanam, which prescribes the type of food for different seasons and purposes, he says, "The world will realise Indian food is among the best. One medical discipline where India can teach the rest of the world is diabetology."

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