India has highest diabetic patients- 65 Million by last count according to the government report of Australia’s Medical Journal. In 2000, the figure was only 31 million. This was way behind are China (43 million) and US (31 million).
Diabetes alters the total life of a patient. Links of diabetes are well-established with heart and kidneys. Sugar is known to provoke insulin to provoke cancer, obesity and a host of diseases.
Link of sugar and cancer were established in 1950s at Harvard Medical Institute, in USA. But the report was suppressed until recently. At University of California San Francisco, researchers found related documents of this research last year and made these documents publicly available. The Harvard Report was suppressed by US sugar industry promotion group for over half a century.
We in India have not done anything to bring this to public attention. Sugar lobby in India is so strong that governments come and go when this lobby winks on sugar economics.
India’s diabetes problem is not limited to middle-class urbans. It’s equally prevalent among rural and poor. Children are not untouched by it. Still public awareness is little. First reaction to anything good happening in life, we Indians say, “mooh mitha karo” meaning put some sugar in the mouth. God will be happy. Really!!!
We need to learn from places like Chicago, New York, Berkeley where local governments have put heavy taxes on sugar products, like we do in India on tobacco.
Indian sugar problem is the worst in the world. Still we are not putting extra taxes on sugar. We do not have public forums against sugar. The Harvard University 1950 sugar conspiracy is unheard of in India.
How can we awake our masses? When and which government will turn its face away from sugar industry lobby?
Post Star needs your voice. We welcome your on-topic commentary, criticism and expertise.