ADLDpk.org - Blog

COVID-19 AND DIABETES

12/6/2020

Are people with diabetes more likely to get COVID-19?

People with diabetes do not have a greater chance of getting the virus. However they are more likely to get complications - if they get the disease .
Your risk of getting very sick from COVID-19 is likely to be lower if your diabetes is well-managed.
The more health conditions someone has (for example, diabetes plus heart disease), the greater the risk of getting serious complications .

Is COVID-19 different from the seasonal flu?
COVID-19 is proving to be a more serious illness than seasonal flu in everyone, including people with diabetes.
People with diabetes should get a flu shot this year, although it’s important to understand the flu vaccine will not protect against COVID-19.
Precautions
General Measures

Frequent hand washing
Use of face mask
Keeping safe distance (6 feet)
Avoid social gatherings, markets, eating out in closed spaces.

EXERCISE:

Remember Exercise is the best immunity booster.
Social distancing does not mean you cannot exercise, walk or cycle .
Only Gyms needs to be avoided .

Diet

Diet should be Healthy & Nutritious
Increased intake of immunity boosters like Cinnamon, Clove, Kalonji, Broccoli
Handful of Nuts daily
Use of Vitamin C and Zinc supplement
Soups, Green Tea.

If you get Covid:

Make sure you have adequate supply of glucostrips and your diabetes drugs (Oral/ Insulin),
More frequent Blood sugar checking

Exercise at Any Age Can Help Those With Heart Disease

2/24/2020

Regardless of age, exercise can improve the physical and mental fitness of people with cardiovascular disease, a common complication of diabetes. French researchers divided 733 people with various heart problems into three age groups: under 65, 65 to 80, and over 80. (About a third had diabetes.) Each took part in a five-week cardiac rehabilitation program that focused on exercise but also included nutrition education and other health counseling. Participants did two hours of exercise (on treadmills and stationary bikes) five times a week. By the study’s end, all had significantly boosted their exercise capacity, a sign of improved heart health, and reported less depression and anxiety. Not only was the program safe for all ages, but participants who started the study with the greatest physical impairment improved the most, no matter how old they were. If you have cardiovascular disease, discuss a referral to a cardiac rehab program with your doctor.

More Choices Encourage Kids to Eat More Vegetables

2/22/2020

To get young children to eat more vegetables, try offering them a choice. In a study, 32 veggie-averse kids ages 4 to 6 were randomly assigned to one of three groups: In one, parents were told to offer the child a small amount of cooked broccoli three times a week for five weeks. Participants in another group offered their children two of three vegetables (broccoli, zucchini, or peas) at once, rotating the choices each time. Parents in a third group didn’t change their child’s eating habits. The children who were offered the two different veggies ate twice the amount of vegetables as the other two groups (1.2 versus 0.6 half-cup servings per day). What’s more, the kids kept up the habit three months after the study ended.

Cold-Weather Diabetes Management Tips

2/18/2020

Your go-to glucose remedy is frozen.

Juice boxes, glucose drinks, and glucose gels work well to treat lows most times of the year, but if you take these on an outdoor excursion or leave them in a parked car in the winter, they could freeze. That can leave you without fast-acting glucose should you develop hypoglycemia (low blood glucose).

The Fix: Glucose tablets or powders are a safer bet because they don’t freeze. Pay attention to your glucagon injection kit, too. It should be stored at 68 to 77 degrees. Liquid in a glucagon injection can freeze if you store your kit in your car or take it outside in cold temps. Keep it close to your body, or opt for Eli Lilly’s recently approved nasal glucagon powder, Baqsimi.

ADLDi and NovoNordisk Pakistan lauched an event FIT 4 HEALTH on Feb 3rd 2020 in Marriet Hotel Islamabad.

2/17/2020

DIABETES AND ANGER

2/11/2020

Anger is a common response to diabetes, and is completely natural. People who have been diagnosed with diabetes may wonder why it has affected them when many of their friends or relatives do not have the condition.
Diabetes diagnosis is unfair, and sometimes anger can lead recently diagnosed diabetics to neglect their diabetes management or diabetes treatment.

Spiced carrot & lentil soup

2/7/2020

Ingredients
2 tsp cumin seeds
pinch chilli flakes
2 tbsp olive oil
600g carrots washed and coarsely grated (no need to peel)
140g split red lentils
1lr hot vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)
125ml milk (to make it dairy-free, see 'try' below)
plain yogurt and naan bread, to serve

Method
Heat a large saucepan and dry-fry 2 tsp cumin seeds and a pinch of chilli flakes for 1 min, or until they start to jump around the pan and release their aromas.

Scoop out about half with a spoon and set aside. Add 2 tbsp olive oil, 600g coarsely grated carrots, 140g split red lentils, 1lr hot vegetable stock and 125ml milk to the pan and bring to the boil.

Simmer for 15 mins until the lentils have swollen and softened.

The soup with a stick blender or in a food processor until smooth (or leave it chunky if you prefer).

Season to taste and finish with a dollop of plain yogurt and a sprinkling of the reserved toasted spices. Serve with warmed naan breads.

Eating Nuts May Help Keep Weight Gain in Check

2/6/2020

We put on about a pound a year as we age. Nuts may help curb those gains. Researchers tracked the diets of 144,885 adults without diabetes over more than 20 years. After accounting for age and lifestyle factors such as exercise and smoking, they found that participants who ate at least half an ounce of nuts (about two tablespoons, or the equivalent of a dozen almonds) a day gained about 1.5 pounds fewer every four years than those who didn’t eat nuts—a small but significant difference. Eating nuts also reduced the risk of becoming obese by 23 percent over four years. It’s not clear whether nuts directly prevent weight gain, but they’re filling and fiber rich, so they may help curb your appetite.

Source: BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health, Sept. 23, 2019

FIT 4 HEALTH LAUNCH EVENT Arranged by ADLDi and Novo Nordisk Pakistan

2/4/2020

ADLDi and Novo Nordisk Pakistan have initiated a diabetes and Obesity awareness project for school children and Adolescents . The project “ Fit 4 Health” has been endorsed by Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination.

Islamabad, Pakistan, 03 February 2020¬–Alliance for Diabetes and Liver Diseases (ADLDi) announced the launch of Fit 4 Health awareness campaign in collaboration with Novo Nordisk Pharma (Pvt.) Ltd. in a press conference held at Islamabad.

Addressing the Press Conference, Chairperson ADLDi Prof. Dr Saleem Qureshi said “Diabetes is a situation that needs to be addressed urgently as it poses a great burden on the economy of Pakistan. An initiative like Fit 4 Healthwhich focuses towards creating awareness among the youth, is certainly a step in the right direction”.

The Co chair ADLDi, Dr Musarrat Iqbal said that the objective of this collective initiative is to create awareness among students about the importance of adopting a healthy lifestyle from an early age to stop the twin epidemic of diabetes & Obesity which are spreading in our youth. “Lifestyle modification, physical activity and healthy diet can delay or prevent onset of type 2 diabetes”. We are already a little late , she said.

“As a collaborative partner, our focus is to create awareness by informing general public about diabetes and play our part in reducing the complications caused by diabetes”, said Mr Rashed Rafique, VP & GM of Novo Nordisk Pharma (Pvt) Ltd.

The Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan, Mr. Rolf M. Holmboe also supported the cause through his presence during the launch event. Wasim Akram, brand ambassador for changing diabetes® in Pakistan, shared his experience with the audience emphasizing on the importance of early diagnosis for better management of diabetes. The press conference was attended by principals and faculty members of various participating schools of Rawalpindi and Islamabad.

Fit 4 Health awareness campaign has been endorsed by the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination and will be run under supervision of Prof. DrSaleem Qureshi, consultant physician and Chairperson ADLDi and Dr Musarrat Iqbal, physician and Co chair ADLDi, invarious schools and colleges across Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

Heart Safety and Type 2 Drugs

2/3/2020

There’s long been a debate about the long-term cardiovascular safety of type 2 oral medications in the sulfonylurea class, but a study found the drugs are unlikely to harm the heart. A trial involving more than 6,000 adults with type 2 diabetes at high risk for heart problems compared two blood glucose–lowering drugs: the DPP-4 inhibitor linagliptin (Tradjenta), which previous studies had shown to be safe for the heart, and the sulfonylurea glimepiride (Amaryl). Participants prescribed daily glimepiride had about the same rates of heart attack–, stroke-, or heart disease–related death combined as those who took linagliptin, about 12 percent in each group. However, with glimepiride, low blood glucose (hypoglycemia) was about three times more common (38 percent versus 11 percent), and the glimepiride group gained more weight, resulting in about a 4-pound difference. On the other hand, glimepiride is far less expensive. Be sure to discuss all your options with your doctor.

Source: JAMA, published online Sept. 19, 2019