The United Arab Emirates is one of the countries with the highest prevalence of diabetes and of obesity in the world. But a recent study found that diabetics in the UAE are still consuming white sugar in their daily diets and are refusing to change their lifestyles.
Type 2 diabetes is becoming a more common diagnosis in the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and the rest of the emirates, according to the latest results of the UAE National Diabetes and Lifestyle Survey. It found that prevalence of diabetes is nearly 20 percent of the total population, while impaired diabetes has reached 15.3 percent. Arabs (11.7%) and Asians (10.6%) in the UAE are most likely to be diagnosed from the dangerous disease, while only 3.6% of African and Western expatriates are diabetic. There are several contributing factors, according to researchers – age, BMI over 25, high triglyceride levels, and family history. The condition is often linked to higher consumption of sugary foods and drinks, fatty foods, and lower levels of physical activity.
Instead of changing their diets and starting fitness programs, diabetics in the UAE prefer to stick to their unhealthy lifestyles, a new study shows. Nielsen conducted a survey in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, where 400 diabetics were surveyed. The results are rather shocking, especially for doctors, who say many participants didn’t care about improving their health condition. This “carefree” attitude towards health and life is evident from the fact that white sugar is consumed at least once a day by more than half of the diabetics in Egypt and Saudi Arabia. And One third of the patients in the UAE admit they eat white sugar at least once a day.
Researchers say they noticed that the main caregiver in all three countries surveyed was the mother in the family. It means that households where diabetics live don’t pay much attention to the condition, while the patients themselves are used to sugary meals, as they are part of traditional Arabian and Middle Eastern cuisine and culture. For people in the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia breaking the habit is more difficult, according to doctors. Thus, extra efforts should be made – not only by the people who have the condition, but also by their families, who play an essential role of their well-being.
