A similar case is that of 29-year-old Sirish Khadka who handles a hectic work life as a department head of a commercial bank in the capital. Already a diabetic, he was recently diagnosed with high uric acid as well. [break]
Sirish admits that he has a pretty lopsided lifestyle and manages with little sleep at night. Since he is so occupied with work, he is obliged to eat at restaurants and prefers it over home-cooked meals.
“I was a good athlete during my schooldays but gradually, as I started working, I stopped exercising. That must’ve triggered my health problems,” says Sirish.
According to Dr Gyanendra Giri, physician and cardiologist at B & B Hospital, sedentary and blithe lifestyle is the predominant factor in most of the diseases that have been found among young people.
“One of the primary causes that lead to various diseases is due to unhealthy eating habits coupled with lack of exercise,” he says.
Stress and inactive lifestyle are a lethal combination that invites a lot of health ailments. He mentions that young people today are overburdened with lots of responsibilities. In a competitive world, young people suffer through a lot of stress, like financial stress, career and academic stress as well as stress related to relationships.
“So not only in our country but even youngsters in other countries of Southeast Asia as well are facing similar health problems due to stress,” he explains. Dr Giri mentions that one of the most common but relatively neglected cases reported is that of high uric acid among younger people.
He also mentions that especially after huge celebrations like Dashain, there are many complaints from youngsters who suffer from high uric acid due to their excessive intake of high-protein foods, like red meat.
One of the primary reasons of high uric acid is due to both excessive vegetarian protein intake like beans and non-vegetarian food intake, like meat and fish. It has also been found that a young adult with a high uric acid level may be at an increased risk for two medical problems – heart diseases and Type 2 diabetes.
“The normal consumption of protein should not exceed more than 40 to 50 grams per day,” advises Giri.
He explains that high uric acid is caused when the body either produces too much uric acid, or the kidneys don’t eliminate the uric acid fast enough. So, in the long run, those who suffer from it may also develop kidney stones or kidney failure. Chances are that people with high uric acid level may also develop high blood pressure, heart diseases, or chronic kidney diseases.
Though uric acid may be genetic as well, it is also caused by various factors like obesity and drinking too much alcohol. Obesity has been a primary cause of many health ailments as it is often the direct cause for high BP, hypertension, stroke and diabetes, even sleep apnea and stroke. Lack of regular physical exercise, erratic work and eating schedules, consumption of junk food and addiction to computers or spending too much time in front of the screen, among others, is contributing to the emergence of this trend.
Asha Shrestha, 28, works as a freelance web designer and does not have fixed working schedules. She goes to sleep around 2 am and wakes up at noon when most people her age are already busy at their respective workplaces. She loves partying and drinking, and other than that, she is mostly preoccupied with her assignments even at wee hours. But little did Asha realize that she was putting her health at stake – until now.
Asha also had been complaining about backaches as she found the simplest of chores to be very tiring.
“It was only recently I realized that even after taking two flights of stairs, I was gasping and panting as I was out of breath. My weight has also increased dramatically. I was also recently diagnosed with diabetes as well,” she explains.
Dr Giri mentions that inactive lifestyle is a crucial factor that triggers many diseases. Supporting Giri’s points, Clinical Dietician Rashmi Shrestha at KIST Medical College mentions that youngsters today are hooked to processed food and consume high-calorie food but are physically less active.
“They tend to spend hours at their laptop with no participation in outdoor games. So they are slowly heading towards passive lifestyle and may suffer from many diseases,” she says.
She explains that there are different types of diabetes but the most common one found today is Type 2 Diabetes which is caused not only by genetic factors but due to passive lifestyle as well.
“But mostly, it’s caused by massive increase in obesity which is why even younger people are suffering from it,” says Shrestha.
Health conditions like high uric acid and diabetes can be reduced by adopting a healthy lifestyle with a change in diet. Doctors strongly recommend making simple changes in diet, like reducing intake of high protein diets like red meat and choosing green leafy vegetables, cabbage and high fiber foods.
“People should improve their faulty eating habits. They should be more active and participate in more outdoor activities and make sure to take out some spare time for exercises,” suggests clinical dietician Shrestha.
Due to their busy lifestyle, youngsters may find it difficult to exercise and participate in more outdoor activities. But it should be incorporated into our schedule as part of a lifestyle since it is considered indispensable. Though we may not see healthy results in a day or two, staying fit and choosing a healthy lifestyle can go a long way in keeping us active and agile.
Dos and Don’ts for people with high uric acid and diabetes
• You should add food high in fiber in your diet along with adequate fluid intake as it helps to lower uric acid levels in your blood. Foods that are high in fiber are fruits like apples, bananas, oranges and raisins. Also foods like oatmeal, brown rice, lentils, broccoli, spinach and green peas are high in fiber.
• You should avoid bakery items like cakes, pastries, cookies and other sugary delights which are rich in saturated fats and trans fats.
• Drink a minimum of almost four liters of water daily. Water is a medium that aids the kidney to strain the impurities from your body. Avoid high-protein diets like red meat as it can increase your uric acid levels.
• Salt is the greatest culprit for diabetics. You get enough salt from vegetables in inorganic form; so reduce the intake of inorganic salt.
• Exclude fried items from your diet.
• Try to switch to low-fat milk and its products like yogurt and replace high-fat cheese with low-fat cottage cheese.
• Replace white flour and its products with whole grains, whole wheat or soya breads and unpolished rice.
• Diabetes is often associated with conditions like heart disease, immune deficiency and kidney disease. Therefore, make sure you include antioxidants, especially vitamin C
(lemons), E, selenium and zinc in
your diet, as they have been shown to control blood sugar levels.
• In order to reduce all kinds of health ailments including high uric acid and diabetes, make sure you work out. Exercise will improve your circulation, lowers your cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. Exercise and proper diet will not only keep you physically but mentally fit as well.
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