SLP, Mexico.- Having an unhealthy diet is one of the factors that increases the risk of suffering from diabetes mellitusaccording to a Cuban specialist when referring to this disease in Cuba, in the midst of a context marked by food shortages and inflation, which makes it difficult for Cubans to access healthy food.
Vivian Díaz Guerrero, Prosalud specialist, told the press Cuban official that the intake of high amounts of carbohydrates, fats and sugars; Lack of physical activity, overweight and obesity, related to tobacco consumption and alcoholism, increase the risk of suffering from diabetes.
According to the expert, diabetes mellitus has a prevalence in Cuba of 66.5 people per thousand inhabitants, according to figures of the Statistical Yearbook.
Díaz Guerrero recommended that Cubans regularly monitor glucose, cholesterol and lipid levels, but also reduce the consumption of sugar, carbohydrates and fats, avoid overweight and obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking, and practice exercise.
In his opinion, these are risk factors that could be “controlled”, “through behavioral changes and a healthy life”, but with a market in national currency undersupplied and products in MLC with excessive prices, that recommendation becomes impossible. to continue for Cubans who survive on their basic salary.
In 2023, a total of 2,281 Cubans died due to diabetes mellitus, which was positioned as the eighth cause of death on the Island.
Without continuous control of the disease and with a lack of insulin, many Cubans are dying. This year it emerged that the regime of Cuba would begin to import insulin from Egypt for the treatment of diabetes, as announced by Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Housing of that eastern country.
Exports would be carried out through United Company for Pharmaceuticals, a subsidiary of the Arab pharmaceutical group ACDIMA, which will act as Egypt’s representative for the pharmaceutical shipments to Cuba.
With the critical shortage and production of medicines in the country, diabetic people depend on the solidarity of their friends or resort to the informal market to purchase drugs that have disappeared from pharmacies.
A 52-year-old woman, resident in the province of Cienfuegos, diagnosed with chronic diabetesrevealed to CubaNet Despite having the cards to purchase supplies, they almost always depend on the charity of others, since the drugs to relieve pain and control their health parameters They disappeared months ago of the pharmacy and hospital network.
