Dr. Gjorcin: “Diabetes damages the eyes, the heart, the brain, and especially the kidneys.”

ISTANBUL (AA)

The Turkish Foundation for Kidney Diseases organized the event “Shackles of sugar are broken” in Istanbul’s Kadikoy neighborhood, in order to raise awareness among people about the harm caused by excessive sugar consumption, reports Anadolu.

At the event organized as part of the “World Sugar Awareness Week”, artists with giant candies attached to their legs with chains performed with their own performance, and the organizers shared information about the harms of excessive sugar consumption.

The president of the Turkish Kidney Disease Foundation, Timur Erk, said in his address that Turkey ranks third in the world, after the United States and Mexico, in terms of obesity caused by sugar.

Stating that the consumption of sugar must be reduced in order to have healthy young generations, Erk emphasized that in Turkey three times more sugar is consumed than the daily allowed amount of sugar, which is 50 grams according to the figures of the World Health Organization for adults.

Erk underlined that excessive consumption of sugar causes many diseases, especially chronic ones.

– “Unfortunately, we fell on the sugar issue”

Noting that they have cooperated with Turkey’s Ministry of Health regarding salt consumption and have been successful in that field, Erk said: “We have managed to reduce the average salt consumption from 18 grams to 10-12 grams. But unfortunately we fell on the sugar issue, we failed to do that with sugar as well. We have been making efforts for 10 years. We managed to reduce the daily sugar consumption of 150 grams of sugar for adults by only 10 grams. So we have to work very hard on this issue,” he said.

Emphasizing that everyone should work on this topic, Erk said that one of the most important issues here is that children have access to healthy food in canteens.

Specialist nephrologist Dr. Bilal Gjorcin said that diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases, both in Turkey and in the world.

Pointing out that diabetes is more harmful than blood pressure, Dr. Gjorcin informed that this disease damages the eyes, heart, brain, and especially the kidneys after 20 years.

– “Overweight people have a higher rate of diabetes”

Dr. Bilal Gjorcin said that currently 40 out of 100 patients in Turkey and the world are on dialysis due to kidney failure caused by sugar.

Pointing out that people need to have very good sugar control to prevent damage to their organs, Dr. Gyorcin made the following comment: “In order for people not to become diabetic or encounter diabetes at a very advanced age, if it is genetic in their family, they must avoid certain things. The most important thing here is the weight. Indeed, overweight people are much more likely to develop diabetes. Second is life without movement. Third is the way of their diet. Especially ready meals or various food products that contain sugar. We need to pay attention to these things.”

. (HAS) . (AA). .