Diabetes is preventable, says VUB professor

About one in 10 Belgians will be diagnosed with diabetes by 2030, according to VUB professor Dimitri Aerden, who predicts a 'tsunami of diabetics' in the coming years. He says the disease is preventable.

Aerden, a vascular surgeon specialising in the treatment of diabetic patients with leg and foot sores, is astounded by how little attention there is for a disease with potentially serious consequences, like amputation, he said in an interview in Het Nieuwsblad.

Diabetics may eventually lose sensation in their lower limbs and require amputation. According to the professor, most of the amputations he performs could have been avoided. "They would not have been necessary if patients were referred to a specialist in time," he says, while adding that many of the complications from diabetes are preventable.

"The most common form of diabetes, type 2, can be avoided by leading a healthier lifestyle,” he says. The professor suggests eating a varied diet that includes unsaturated fats, very limited salt and sugar and plenty of vegetables and whole grains. He also says that smoking increases the risk of diabetes by 30- to 40%. Keeping a healthy weight is also important, he says, as an overweight body often struggles to keep a balanced blood sugar level.