Balanced diet, exercise advised to ward off diabetes

LAHORE:Expressing concern over rapid increase in diabetes in Pakistan, medical experts have advised balanced diet, regular exercise, appropriate medication and prevention from risk factors to ward off the disease.

They were speaking in a seminar on “The Family and Diabetes” held here in a hotel under the aegis of Mir Khalil-ur-Rahman Memorial Society (MKRMS) - Jang Group of Newspapers, in collaboration with Medical Unit-III, Lahore General Hospital and Barrett Hodgson Pakistan in connection with World Diabetes Day.

Punjab Health Minister Prof Dr Yasmin Rashid termed it a matter of grave concern that Pakistan was ranked 5th or 6th with regard to prevalence of diabetes in the world, adding that sedentary lifestyle, bad eating habits and lack of exercise were triggering points of diabetes. As diabetes is a congenital disease, she said it also adversely affected the newborn’s health. She said that diabetes was a mother of all diseases as it affected every limb and organ of the body, saying that the Punjab government was doing everything to improve facilities at DHQ and THQ hospitals to provide specialised treatment to the patients in their hometowns.

University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Javed Akram said that approximately 35 million people were diabetic in Pakistan, adding that the burden of this disease would double in the next 25 years.

He said that approximately 420 million people were suffering from diabetes all over the world and nearly 8 million people succumb to this disease. He said that once person contracts diabetes then he or she has to live with it for life. “The obesity is increasing in Pakistan, which is one of the major causes of diabetes,” he said, adding that precautionary measures must be adopted to prevent diabetes.

King Edward Medical University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Khalid Masood Gondal pointed out that quacks were largely responsible for spreading diabetes among the people, saying that there was no truth in cable TV ads claiming to root out diabetes once and for all. “The patients must see a qualified physician,” he added. Post Graduate Medical Institute/Lahore General Hospital Principal and Chief Organiser Prof Dr Sardar Muhammad Al-Fareed Zafar informed that an Endocrine Ward was being established in Lahore General Hospital, where all complications of Endocrinology would be treated. He said that diabetes can’t be cured but it can be controlled through precautionary measures and healthy lifestyle.

Head of Medical Unit-III, LGH, Prof Dr Tahir Siddique apprised the people of the diabetes complications, prevention and control with a view to living a healthy life despite carrying the disease.

Dr Imran Hasan, Associate Professor of Medicine LGH, stressed to regularly check their sugar. “Those diabetics, who do not check their diabetes, face difficulties in treatment of their disease,” he added.

Prof Dr Saqib Siddique, Professor of Gynae, emphasised on people to use fresh vegetables and fruits and desist from using white flour and white sugar to prevent the disease. Head of Paediatrics, LGH, Prof Dr Agha Shabbir Ali said that around 70,000 children were being diagnosed diabetics every year in Pakistan, adding that there was a need for proper counselling of parents for prevention, control and treatment of diabetes among their children.

Prof Dr Muhammad Moin, Professor of Ophthalmology, LGH, said that diabetes affected the eyesight; therefore, he advised diabetics to get their eyes examined periodically.

Head of Surgical and Allied Unit, LGH, Prof Dr Farooq Afzal, said that every fifth person was diabetic, the disease can be avoided through healthy lifestyle. He said that the people must avoid fried food, and include fruits and vegetables in their food along with daily exercise. He said that obesity was a major cause of diabetes, saying that men having waist above 35 inches and women having waist above 31 inches become vulnerable to diabetes. Head of Pulmonology, LGH, Prof Dr Khalid Waheed said that diabetes caused lungs TB. “If it is not treated timely, then TB turns into multi-drug resistant TB,” he added. Presenting vote of thanks, Senior Regional Manager Barrett Hodgson Pakistan Rahat Mughal said that pharmaceutical company, ranked among top 15 companies, regularly conducted awareness programmes among the general public.

Besides, Head of Neurology, LGH Prof Dr Mohsin Zaheer, Endocrinologist Dr Maleeha Hameed, Dr Aurangzeb Afzal, Adviser to Health Minister Prof Javed Chaudhry, Dr Kashif Aziz also spoke on the occasion.

MKRMS Chairman Wasif Nagi conducted the seminar, while Khaleeq Hamid recited verses from Holy Quran and Na’at-e-Rasool (PBUH).