MPs Forego Sweetened Drinks
Every Wednesday through October and December when the Parliament has been sitting, all 222 Malaysian MPs have not been able to enjoy sweetened drinks. It was reported in The Star that Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul announced the ruling in September and that it would be enforced to promote a healthier society. He […]
Obesity Fuels Pakistan’s Diabetes Epidemic
A recent article published by The Express Tribune highlights a growing public health crisis in Pakistan: obesity is driving a dramatic rise in diabetes cases across the country. The article points out that Pakistan is grappling with an epidemic of Type 2 diabetes, largely linked to the rising rates of obesity, a condition that affects […]
Processed Foods Dominate Diets of Japanese Youth, Raising Health Concerns
A growing body of research is sounding the alarm on the increasing consumption of highly processed foods among Japanese children and adolescents. Studies reveal that over 45% of the energy in their daily diets comes from ultra-processed foods, contributing to poor nutrition, threatening long-term health, and raising the risk of chronic conditions such as obesity […]
Using Tech for Individualised Treatment
Within the population of India, 11.4% are affected by diabetes and an additional 15.3% have pre-diabetes, as shown by the study titled “Metabolic non-communicable disease health report of India: the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study (ICMR-INDIAB-17)”. This requires urgent action through comprehensive strategies. Use of technology in addressing the burden of metabolic conditions and its use […]
From Sana’s Desk – Glucometer Bans
It may come as a surprise to many that visitors are prohibited from bringing glucometers into embassies in Pakistan. Similar situations may exist in other countries where security concerns lead to blanket bans on items necessary for managing diabetes during visa interviews. In Pakistan, individuals are required to leave their glucometers at home or in […]
Nutrition and NCDs
An article in the Times of India covers the role of nutrition in managing chronic disease such as diabetes and heart disease and offers a list of 10 suggestions to reduce the risk of such Non-Communicable Diseases. Advocacy Action: Can you use any of the ten suggestions in the article below to example how diabetes […]
India Schools and Insulin
The Uttar Pradesh state government has recently decided to allow school students with Type 1 diabetes to carry insulin to classrooms. Although there are no rules to ban students carrying insulin, there were none in place to allow it. The intention is to ensure all schools are aware of the need for students with diabetes […]
Diabetes Risk of Peripheral Neuropathy
Over 6,000 healthcare professionals from across Asia, Africa and the Middle East were brought together at a ‘Demystifying Neuropathy Forum’ organised by P & G Health. The online event saw presentations on the latest clinical guidance and research findings on screening and management of Peripheral Neuropathy. Peripheral Neuropathy (PN) is a chronic clinical condition, wherein […]
Is a Sugar Tax Enough?
In a comment piece in the Malaysian ‘Sun Daily’ newspaper, Singapore based technical writer Joachim Ng asks whether a sugar tax is enough. “The effectiveness of this higher tax on drinks in curbing sugar consumption depends on whether it is part of a comprehensive public prevention strategy that includes other regulatory measures.” You can read […]
Curbing Ultra-Processed Food
Health experts in Pakistan have called for policy measures, including increased taxes, to curb the use of ultra-processed food and sugary drinks, citing the example of Saudi Arabia which has subjected unhealthy foods to heavy excise duties. In 2019, Saudi Arabia expanded an excise tax charged on tobacco and soda to include electronic cigarettes and […]
Surge in T2D in Rural India
Rural India is grappling with a surge in type 2 diabetes (T2D) that signals a significant shift in lifestyles and dietary habits among the population. The rise of T2D reflects the transition from traditional, physically active lifestyles to more sedentary ones, often accompanied by diets high in processed foods, unhealthy fats, and refined sugars. Data […]
Income Levels and Diabetes
Data has revealed a strong correlation between income levels and the incidence of diabetes in South Korea. A collaborative research group involving two universities and two hospitals in the country classified 7.82 million adults aged between 30 and 64, who did not have type 2 diabetes, according to their income levels in 2012. The group […]
One Size Does Not Fit All
A Chinese University of Hong Kong study, led by former Hong Kong health Minister, Professor Yeoh Eng-Kiong, calls for different approaches to different groups to improve the health of ethnic minority groups, and the poor. The study found higher levels of obesity and related health problems among Hong Kong’s South Asian community and is calling […]
IDF Launch Global Ambassador for Diabetes
The Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina Wazed MP, have been announced as the first International Diabetes Federation (IDF) Global Ambassador for Diabetes. IDF President-Elect Prof Akhtar Hussain presented an invitation to accept the honorary position during an official meeting held in Dhaka on August 24. The title of IDF Global Ambassador for Diabetes is […]
Research Corner
A Diabetes Link to Dementia https://www.timesnownews.com/health/diabetics-beware-study-says-high-blood-sugar-levels-could-give-you-dementia-article-92318905 Role of Socioeconomic Status in Amputation Rates with Comorbid PVD and Diabetes https://www.thecardiologyadvisor.com/home/topics/vascular-medicine/role-of-socioeconomic-status-amputation-rates-with-comorbid-pvd-and-diabetes Potential target for Type 1 diabetes treatment https://www.miragenews.com/potentia l-target-for-type-1-diabetes-treatment-824142/ Japanese Study Finds Health Benefits in Muscle Strengthening https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/56/13/755 Children with type 1 diabetes and their family members are at increased risk of mental health problems. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20220801/Study-Children-with-type-1-diabetes-and-their-family-members-are-at-increased-risk-of-mental-health-problems.aspx […]
Nutrition News: Japanese Super Foods in the News
Why are low calorie, rich in nutrients and vitamins, natural, organic foods, in the news? They are mostly vegetables that according to the Japan Super Foods Association, include; spirulina, maca, Chinese wolfberry, cacao beans, chia seeds, coconut, acai, camu camu, broccoli sprout and hemp seeds. Superfoods are neither medicines nor supplements, but are important in […]
Drink Labelling Takes Step Forward in Singapore
Drinks outlets in Singapore must label beverages high in sugar, saturated fat on their menus by the end of next year. Beverage labelling is part of the country’s efforts to influence consumers diet and sugar intake as part of the government’s war on diabetes. Advocacy Action: Could drink labelling help the fight against obesity and […]
Nutrition News: Could More Protein in a Diet reverse Type 2 Diabetes?
India’s largest ongoing diabetes study has opened up a formula to reverse or slow down the onset of diabetes. The focus in diabetes care has shifted from mere medication to its reversal. Doctors working on the study have suggested that in order to achieve this goal, a person’s diet needs proteins to make up to […]
News in Brief: Diabetes Rates by Country
Interesting data showing the top five Counties with the approximate highest rates for type 2 diabetes among the general population: ● China — over 1 billion ● India — over 1 billion ● U.S.A. — 338 million ● Indonesia — 275 million ● Pakistan — 235 million The rates are also published by country for […]
Eyesight Risk
A 50 month study of diabetes in India found that one in every twenty five people above the age of 40 with the condition have vision-threatening diabetic retinopathy – one of the most common complications of poorly or uncontrolled diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes, caused by high blood sugar levels damaging the […]
Global News in Brief: Only 1 in 3 have Control
A new study, link below, has revealed that only one in three diabetes patients in India have their blood sugar levels under control. The Indian Council of Medical Research decade-long study published in The Lancet (Diabetes and Endocrinology) in April, found that only 36.3 percent of known diabetics have their A1c levels (average blood glucose level over […]
Malaysia
Malaysian MP Dr Kelvin Yii has called for the establishment of a multi-stakeholder approach in implementing a diabetes management plan in the country. Citing plans in Australia and Switzerland as good examples to follow, the Banda Kuching MP says the Government needs to increase all efforts, including coming out with better policies and running more […]
Nutrition News: Label Action on “Nutri-Grade” Drinks
The Singapore Ministry of Health is consulting over the introduction of new labelling requirements and advertising prohibition to be introduced at the end of 2022. The proposals relate to “Nutri-Grade” beverages sold in Singapore in prepacked form and from automatic beverage dispensers. Nutri-Grade beverages include, but are not limited to, soft drinks, milk and milk […]
Pancreas Transplant Service
Singapore has created a transplant service for Singaporeans, the first in South east Asia for permanent residents who qualify for subsidies under a new national programme. The Ministry of Health hopes that potential patients at all hospitals will be identified and screened for their transplant suitability and to be placed in a waiting list. It […]
Foot Clinics in Karachi
Pakistan is setting up thirty diabetic-foot clinics in Karachi as concerns grow for the thirty-three million people living with the condition across the country that have led to increasing numbers of amputations. It is estimated that over half a million people could lose a limb due to foot ulcers and other diabetic complications. Dr Zahid […]
Qatar – Advocacy for Children
The first Al-Bawasil camp was held in January 1999 and it has been held every year since. This year a virtual event was held organised by the Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA). The camp involved 40 children with diabetes aged 7 to 11 from nine diabetes associations from Qatar, Sudan, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, […]
Nutrition News: Low Carb Diet Recommended
Diabetes featured during India’s ‘National Nutrition Week’ with the advice that a low carb diet is a key to maintaining a healthy blood sugar balance that reduces the risk of expensive and life changing complications. https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/national-nutrition-week-low-carb-diet-to-manage-diabetes-7486285/
Simple Solution to Malnutrition
Malayasian Member of Parliament, Dr Azman Ismail MP, has raised the issue of malnutrition and linked it to a rise in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) claiming there is a simple solution. “This doesn’t require huge funds and you don’t need rocket science to go back to our traditional diets” he said when debating the Supply Bill […]
Malaysia – Sugar Tax Principle Extended
In next year’s budget the Malaysian Government plans to keep the country’s excise duty for sugary beverages and introduce a duty for liquid or gel that contains nicotine used for electronic cigarettes and vapes. This is part of the Government’s health agenda, according to Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz. He said: […]
Pakistan – 200,000 Amputations Preventable
It was revealed at the inaugural ceremony of the National Association of Diabetes Educators of Pakistan (NADEP) in Karachi that over 200,000 amputations every year in the country are due to diabetes. Prof Abdul Basit, secretary general of the Diabetic Association of Pakistan, is urging the Government to work for the prevention of the disease […]
Sugar Tax News: Pakistan Sugar Tax Rise Proposed
Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination has recommended the Finance Ministry should raise the taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages (SSB’s) including carbonated drinks in the coming budget to make them less affordable because of their health hazards. The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr Faisal Sultan, has sent a recommendation […]
Diabetes epidemic continues to rise in India
The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is calling for prompt action to reverse the growing numbers of people with diabetes in the country. Diabetes in India has assumed epidemic proportions and there are now more than 77 million people in the country with the condition. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF), India, says that, with […]
Covid-19: Fears over sharp rise in diabetes in India
A BBC report quotes Dr Rahul Baxi, a Mumbai based diabetologist saying: “The worry is that Covid-19 could trigger a tsunami of diabetes in India after the pandemic is over.” He said 8-10% of his patients with no history of diabetes who contracted Covid-19 continued to have high sugar levels months after recovery and were […]
High Court Rules on Diabetes Drug Patent
The cost for treating diabetes is expected to come down with a Delhi High Court having dismissed an appeal by AstraZeneca, which had sought the restraining of the generic versions of a blockbuster drug. The global pharma firm was also suing a host of domestic companies for the infringement of patents covering the drug. The […]
Simple Idea Gets Results
CAPTION: “One in three Singapore citizens at risk of diabetes! – Gan Kim Yong, former Health Minister (Photo: Wikipedia) A study commissioned by the Health Promotion Board of Singapore and published last year said that “a key risk factor of diabetes in Singapore is a high intake of sugar, particularly from beverages”. The study was […]
Research News
Singapore research finds surgery for type 2 diabetes may restore nearly a decade to life expectancy https://www.medwirenews.com/diabetes/surgery-type-2-diabetes-restore-nearly-decade-life-expectancy/19148930 Children with type 1 diabetes have an increased risk for developing neurodevelopment disorders, with the risk greater for those with a high HbA1c, according to a study published in Diabetologia. https://www.healio.com/news/endocrinology/20210316/high-hba1c-in-type-1-diabetes-linked-to-increased-risk-for-neurodevelopment-disorders Austrian/Swiss research finds that consuming moderate amounts […]
Indian-Food Tips
With a high prevalence of type 2 diabetes among South Asians, food tips to help people with or to prevent the condition could prove helpful.
News From Around the World Continued: Korea’s Diabetes Treatment Guidelines
Korea’s newly updated diabetes treatment guidelines said physicians should screen diabetes faster, restore blood sugar levels more effectively, and manage blood sugar levels more thoroughly. The Korean Diabetes Association (KDA) released the 2021 Treatment Guideline for Diabetes at its 34th Spring Conference and the fifth Korea-Japan Diabetes Forum last month. The KDA emphasized the importance […]
News from Around the World: Malaysia’s Diabetes Time-Bomb
Malaysia has the highest prevalence of obesity among adults in South-East Asia. In the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey, 50.1 percent of our adult population was reported to be overweight (30.4 percent) or obese (19.7 percent). Writing in the ‘Malaysian Star’ publication, Professors Dr Moy Foong Ming and Dr Noran Naqiah Hairi and Dr […]
Black Fungus Link to Diabetes
News from India is showing people hospitalised for COVID -19, and particularly those who require oxygen therapy during COVID-19 illness, are at a much higher risk of Mucormycosis, often called Black Fungus. With half of all hospitalisations from COVID-19 in some countries being patients with diabetes as an underlying condition, this is an added risk. […]
Latest Research News
Biomarkers breakthrough in diabetes research https://www.uu.se/en/news/article/?id=16386&typ=artike Belly fat diabetes warning sign for middle aged Japanese (and probably all) men. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-01/uosc-mmi012121.php Study into when insulin pump therapy should start in newly diagnosed Type 1 children. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/article/PIIS2352-4642(20)30339-4/fulltext More evidence of link between diabetes and stroke. First results of the DiabetRisk study – Over 8 percent of patients […]
News in Brief
Japanese firm predicting 7 per cent increase among people with diabetes requiring a Kidney transplant. https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Health-Care/Japan-s-Nipro-pumps-1bn-into-doubling-output-of-artificial-kidneys Patient criticism in Nigeria over high cost of treatment and lack of government policies. https://punchng.com/diabetes-patients-lament-lack-of-govt-policy-high-cost-of-treatment How some young type 1 South Africans successfully campaigned for a health insurer to offer a continuous glucose monitor benefit. A great advocacy example. […]
More News From Around The Globe: Health Levy Bill Delay
As the country with the fourth highest burden of diabetes, calls have been growing within Pakistan to stop the delays to a proposed Health Levy Bill that proposes to raise taxes on sugary drinks and tobacco. The Bill has been going back and forth between relevant ministries and the tax department. According to the International […]
The Future Today
Example of a telemedicine booth: The development of telemedicine medicine booths has been trailed as a step forward for accessible healthcare in remote areas, but one pilot in Singapore is delivering a service to an urban area. This pilot aims to provide free health screening services, using the latest health technologies, for Singaporeans aged above […]
News From Around the Globe Continued: A Month Without Insulin
The difficulties obtaining insulin, testing strips and medicines are not unique to the Sudanese hospital we reported about in our last issue. The stock of injections for diabetes patients has been exhausted in the Landikotal District Hospital in the Khyber tribal district of Pakistan. Hospital sources reported in the local press have claimed many people […]
Obesity Driving Diabetes Rise
In a Qatar National Reseach Fund study, the gulf state of Oman is facing a rapidly rising diabetes epidemic over the coming three decades. The number of people with diabetes will continue to grow, making it challenging to control if no major preventive interventions are implemented now. It is feared that diabetes prevalence could reach […]
COVID Sweet Tooth Danger
According to a study of Google searches in the Philippines, people have literally been craving a sweet escape from the lockdown blues. Since the start of the pandemic, e-commerce aggregator iPrice reported that the country’s interest in chocolates and other confections has rocketed. The study recorded the monthly average of Google searches for chocolate treats […]
More News from Around the Globe: Never Too Early
Singapore’s Chief Ministry of Health Scientist, Professor Tan Chorh Chuan, believes prevention of diabetes should start from a young age, maybe even before birth. He was reacting to the importance of responding to gestational diabetes that affects one in five mothers in Singapore. It led to his call for screening for the condition in order […]
Big Support for Sugar Tax in Pakistan
Meanwhile in Pakistan the National Heart Association (PANAH), in collaboration with the Pakistan Health Research Council (PHRC) conducted a poll on complex diseases and mortality caused by excessive consumption of sugary drinks. Preliminary results from Islamabad and its hinterland indicate 72 percent of people support the implementation of a soda tax to help prevent NonCommuni […]
Research Corner
Much of the research and studies make for grim reading with the implications for people and health care systems severe. All the more important to seek allies who can share and add force to your advocacy to seek improvements to prevention, encourage early diagnosis, and the best treatments. Britain Healthy lifestyle key to prevention of […]