SINGAPORE -  It is a condition that affects one out of 11 people between 18 and 69 years old in Singapore. Yet a large majority of those suffering from diabetes do not recognise diet as key to their treatment, a recent survey has showed.

Eighty-one per cent out of 404 diabetic patients polled said they rely on medication as the sole treatment of their chronic condition Health - in spite of recommendations by the Promotion Board and doctors that diet should be the cornerstone of diabetes treatment.

And although over 90 per cent believed in the importance of breakfast, many do not have adequate knowledge of what constitutes a healthy breakfast, and how it can help to control their blood sugar level throughout the day.

On average, the diabetics surveyed have had the condition for 11.5 years.

"The survey reveals a gap that we, the medical community need to fill urgently - to emphasise the importance of maintaining regular and healthy dietary habits,"said Dr Kevin Tan vice president of the Diabetic Society of Singapore (DSS).

"Only 2.5 per cent of respondents used a holistic approach of diet, medication and exercise as treatment. Without (a healthy and nutritious) breakfast patients may not be able to properly manage their blood sugar levels for the rest of the day. This could put them at risk of long-term consequences such as heart disease kidney failure blindness and amputation," he said.

The findings from the Diabetics Breakfast Survey were disclosed yesterday ahead of World Diabetes Day on Saturday.

It was commissioned by Abbott Nutrition which will carry out an educational program with DSS targeting members of the society.