1 U.S.A.F. Hospital Box 1792 APO New York 09179
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease with such chronic sequelae as atherosclerosis. The only hope of preventing them lies in early detection of the diabetes, so that a regimen preventing conversion of elevated blood glucose to sorbitol (with subsequent vascular basement membrane thickening) may be instituted. If this proves possible, the regimen would require early and close attention to diet, with multiple small meals and restriction of simple sugars, saturated fat, and cholesterol. Insulin could be added as needed, screening done for other atherosclerotic risk factors, regular exercise strongly encouraged, and maintenance of lean body weight required.