Peoples can get rid of type 2 diabetes by changing their lifestyle and reducing their body weight, endocrinologists suggests
People can get rid of Type 2 diabetes (the lifestyle disease), if they manage to lose at least 15 kilograms of their body weight, either through diet, medication and physical activity or resorting to bariatric surgery, national and international endocrinologists and surgeons said while speaking at a scientific moot here on Monday.
Citing the World Health Organization figures, experts said around 58.1% of Pakistanis are overweight, with 43.9% obese and added that according to the Asian cutoffs that are not yet globally recognized, 72.3% of Pakistanis are overweight, with obesity affecting 58.1% of the population.
“One can get rid of Type 2 diabetes losing at least 15 kilograms of body weight, either through bariatric surgery (a collective term for several weight-loss surgeries) or through medication and lifestyle modification.
Unfortunately, obesity is constantly on the rise in countries like Pakistan where around 50 per cent of people including women and children obese”, Dr. Jonathan Hazlehurst, Heartlands Hospital Birmingham, UK told the concluding session of 20th Annual Conference of Pakistan Endocrine Society (PES).
Hundreds of health experts including leading endocrinologists, surgeons, researchers and medical professors from different cities of Pakistan as well as other countries of the world including the UK, the United States, middle eastern countries as well as other parts of the world attended the three-day moot and presented their papers, research projects and recommendations for improving the quality of health in Pakistan.
Dr. Jonathan Hazlehurst, who is an expert on complex endocrine obesity (the interaction between obesity and endocrinopathies) and Type 2 diabetes mellitus, informed that obesity is not only a risk factor for diabetes but it also leads to cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, diseases of the gastric tract, knee joints and backbone problems as well as some kinds of cancers. “Long-term data suggest that losing around 10-15 kilograms of body weight, prevents different kinds of cancers in addition to reversing and get rid of type 2 diabetes”, he added.
Another health expert, Dr Tejhmal Rehman from the Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad said “scientific studies show that obesity is also a cause of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, gallstones and even mental health issues. Data also suggests that people who get rid of at least 5-7 per cent of their body weight through lifestyle medication and medicines can be free of diabetes and prevent themselves from several other non-communicable diseases”, Dr. Rehman added.
Patron of the Pakistan Endocrine Society (PES) Prof. A.H Aamir said Pakistan badly needs Chinese medical technology, which is not only reliable but relatively affordable as compared to western medical devices. “We need insulin pumps for our children and youngsters suffering from Type 1 diabetes the majority of whom can’t afford the products of American and European companies. Chinese medical devices are a good choice for Pakistani patients as they are not only of international standards but are affordable for most Pakistani patients”, he added.