GUYANA’S AGING POLULATION AND NCDs

Sep 19, 2018 Editorial

It is time for Guyana and the Caribbean to join the United States and other countries to sound the alarm on the growing prevalence of Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and their complications. The health profile of Guyana has changed dramatically since independence. NCDs have become the leading cause of death and disability in the country.
This suggests that a new cadre of health workers is needed to deal with the diseases, and their effects on the aging population.
Guyana also needs health professionals who specialize in dementia and Alzheimers. While the fight against NCDs seems to be a never-ending and unwinnable battle, it is apparent that most other health issues are due to aging.
Before anything else became the prop on which Guyana’s economy was built, sugar cane was king and the industry was the country’s primary foreign exchange earner. Its domestic consumption in several areas is linked to all the headaches the nation faces with its aging population and chronic non-communicable diseases.
It is true that successive governments have made several efforts to reduce the level of sugar intake among adults and children at the primary school level, but it seems that was not good enough.
Indeed, if the authorities are truly serious about reducing the sugar intake among children and combatting NCDs, then they should include in the school curriculum the dangers of sugar and how to limit its daily intake. It would also be wise for the government to embark on an education programme to about the hazards of sugar on people’s health.
Medical researchers have painted such a dismal picture of sugar that people have seemingly been drinking and eating themselves into a variety of illnesses and early deaths.
Renowned American scientist and author of the bestseller Never Be Sick Again, Dr. Raymond Francis, describes sugar as a deadly metabolic poison that throws the body’s naturally balanced biochemistry out of sync. The leader of optimal health maintenance has emphasized that sugar breaks down the body’s immune system and leaves it susceptible to a number of chronic ailments.
He explained that one teaspoon of sugar has the potential to reduce one’s immunity by 50 percent within two hours. Dr. Francis opined that sugar in fruits is acceptable, but processed fruit juices have too much bioavailable sugar that could spike one’s blood level.
Francis stated that sugar intake is a major cause of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and a number of other ailments. He said children are not allowed to buy or use cigarettes or alcohol but are allowed to buy sugar products like candy despite the fact that such sweets posed a greater threat to their health than cigarettes or alcohol.
Sugar, he suggested, should be totally outlawed. Dr. Francis is not the only voice against the use of sugar. Holland’s health specialist, Paul van der Velpen, has suggested that processed sugar is the most dangerous drug of the times; it is addictive and warnings should be placed on all products that contain processed sugar in the same manner that they are placed on tobacco and alcohol products.

If it is true that sugar is so deadly or as addictive and dangerous a substance as crack cocaine, then why has the campaign against it been so muted? The answer resides in the fact that sugar is a billion-dollar legitimate business.
The global soft drink and confectionery industries are massive and so are the rum, chocolate and malt beverage industries. In addition to providing sponsorship to a number of social activities, these industries are represented by reputable and powerful interest groups that do nothing else but to maximize damage control. It will take revolutionary lifestyle changes to reduce the use of sugar in Guyana.

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