Healthcare: ‘Eat less, walk more’ to avoid diabetes

Seven million suffer from the disease in Pakistan currently: IDF Diabetes Atlas 6th edition.

KARACHI: Diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate in the world but one can avoid it by 'eating less and walking more'.

This was said by Diabetic Association of Pakistan secretary-general Prof Samad Sheru at the second International Diabetes Conference organised by the Sanofi Aventis in collaboration with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) on Thursday.

According to IDF Diabetes Atlas 6th edition, there are seven million people suffering from diabetes in Pakistan at the moment. The figure is likely to rise to 13 million by 2035.



Recalling one of the slogans given by Sanofi Aventis, 'Eat less, walk more', Sheru suggested ways to avoid becoming a part of the mentioned 13 million.

On a lighter note, he called for eliminating 'mass destruction weapons' from our lives. According to Sheru, these are 'biryani, pizza and burgers'.

"One should add a brisk walk of at least 2.5 hours a week or 10,000 steps a day into their daily routine," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Sanofi Aventis corporate communication director Laila Khan lauded the efforts of her company in spreading awareness among people and encouraging them to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

IDF president Michael Hirst talked about the complications they are facing in spreading awareness. "Educating the patients and their families about diabetes is the easiest way to communicate that diabetes is a silent killer," he said. "It is unfortunate that diabetes has no symptoms that can be diagnosed easily."

He lamented the fact that around 3.5 million patients in Pakistan learn about their suffering when they have a heart attack or a kidney failure problem. "More than 50 per cent patients are unaware of this illness during the initial six years of diabetes," he sighed.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6^th, 2015.