Most Jamaicans can confirm that they have a relative or know someone with ‘Suga’. ‘Suga’ or diabetes is a prevalent non-communicable or lifestyle disease. According to the World Health Organization’s website, diabetes is ‘a chronic disease that occurs either when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces’. Insulin is a hormone that regulates blood sugar, and without it or without the effective use of it by the body, diabetes will occur. Type 1 diabetes is typically found in children and is caused by insulin deficiency. Type 2 diabetes is developed as a result of the body’s ineffective use of insulin. It is important to note that this type of diabetes is mostly the result of excess body weight and physical inactivity.
When an individual is diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, the person is typically put on medication to help lower the blood sugar. This is the case with many Jamaicans who have this type of diabetes. However, if one’s diabetes is as a result of an improper diet, excess body weight and physical inactivity, can it not be reversed by a strict, healthy diet, exercise and trust in God, the Great Physician?
