‘Diabetes spreading fast in Pakistan’

Rawalpindi : The National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) celebrated the 48th Nutrition Month 2022 by organising a seminar at its PWD campus on Sunday to create awareness about the importance of nutrition for the well-being of individuals and society while highlighting the fast-growing menace of diabetes in the country as 1 among 4 Pakistanis is affected by it.

March is celebrated as 'Nutrition Month' across the globe in order to raise awareness among the masses related to the significance of healthy eating while the theme for this year is ‘Celebrate a World of Flavours’. Dr. Aisha Mohyuddin, Dean Faculty of multi-disciplinary Studies, welcoming the participants highlighted the importance of a healthy lifestyle through nutrition.

She said diabetes had surfaced as a national problem so people should adopt healthy eating habits to prevent the onset of such diseases. Unfortunately, Pakistan is one amongst the few countries in the world which is currently facing the Triple Burden of Malnutrition including overnutrition, undernutrition, and micronutrient deficiencies, said Dr. Sehar Iqbal, Head of NUMS Department of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Good nutrition is a cornerstone of good health, but nutrition is a field that is still extremely neglected in our country, she added. Dr. Nasreen Naveed, a senior Diabetologist at The Diabetes Centre, Islamabad, speaking on the occasion said that women were more prone to developing complications of diabetes but those who had this chronic disease need to change their lifestyle. She stressed the importance of prevention of this disease through low carb and high fiber diet. She recommended water instead of beverages that were very high in sugar.