KUWAIT CITY, June 8, (KUNA): Director General of Dasman Center for Research and Treatment of Diabetes Dr Kadhem Behbehani highlighted on Monday the role of biomedical research in preventing and treating diabetes.
“The disease could lead to serious complications and hamper the functions of vital organs of the body such as heart, liver, kidneys, nerves and eyes,” he said in statements to KUNA.
Dr Behbehani made the remarks on the occasion of a lecture delivered at his center by Prof. Andrew Morris, director of the Biomedical Research Institute of the Scotland-based University of Dundee, on the rising rates of obesity and resistance to insulin.
“The muscle, liver and fat cells of diabetics, who suffer from resistance to insulin, usually fail to handle insulin properly, which in turn leads to accumulation of glucose.
“This problem forces the pancreas to increase production of natural insulin, thus exhausting the pancreas,” he explained.

“Metformin, a popular oral drug for treating Type II diabetes, helps lower blood sugar levels by improving the way of handling insulin by preventing the liver from making excess glucose and by making muscle and fat cells more sensitive to available insulin.
“This is one of the most common treatments of diabetics,” Dr Behbehani pointed out.
“One of the world’s highest rates of diabetes prevalence is registered in the State of Kuwait. The prevalence rate hit 15 percent among adults while 22 out of each 100,000 children below 14 years showed symptoms of early diabetes, “ he said, citing the World Health Organization (WHO) figures.
“The main causes behind early diabetes include obesity, lack of physical activities such as sporting, poor nutrition and smoking,” he added.
Dr Behbehani urged diabetics to show greater sensitivity to physicians’ advice regarding nutrition and ways of controlling the disease.
The number of diabetics worldwide is expected to top more than 300 million people by 2025, according to WHO.

Also:
KUWAIT CITY: Doctors, nutrition experts and other employees of the Health Services Department will participate in the Health Awareness Month activities organized by the Ministry of Health’s Nursing Staff Department, Director of the department Dr Abeer Al-Bahwa told Al-Seyassah daily.
The activities will be held every Tuesday at 10 am and will include many lectures, in addition to a health exhibition, added Al-Bahwa.