The Diabetes and Ramadan (DAR) International Alliance has announced on May 27 the launch of its ‘Ramadan Nutrition Plan’ Web application which helps diabetics to set up schemes for their meals during Ramadan, KuwaitTimes reported.
According to the Qur’an, if fasting would be dangerous to an individual’s health such as those with a medical condition or the aged, they are excused. So apparently Islamic Shari’ah doesn’t obligate diabetics to fast, but if they wish under the supervised clearance of their own doctors, they can benefit from the service of this new app.
Dietary recommendations need to be individualized and tailored to patients’ lifestyle requirements, age, comorbidities and other medical needs.
The Ramadan Nutrition Plan (RNP) is a web-based tool developed to assist in delivering patient-specific medical nutrition therapy during Ramadan fasting. The meal plans are categorized in several daily caloric targets.
The diabetes management strategy has been taken by DAR in partnership with International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and Emirates Diabetes Society.
“Last year, we released the ‘Guidelines on diabetes management during Ramadan’, to provide a universal direction for all those involved in working with the patients. Our long-term goal is to bring about a progressive behavior change among fasting patients and communities,” said Dr Mohamed Hassanein, chairman of DAR International Alliance and consultant in endocrinology at Dubai Hospital in the UAE.
Studies demonstrated how there was no significant change in a patients’ overall health, with a marginal improvement in blood pressure, when diabetes is managed effectively. However, this information can’t be generalized, as some patients can improve in health, while some might get worse.
A study presented by Dr Fatheya Alawadi, head of the endocrine department, Dubai Hospital, on ‘Attitudes and behavior of people with diabetes during Ramadan’, highlighted how patients benefited from proper pre-Ramadan education and counseling.
“Patients from high risk groups include – Type I Diabetes patients, Type II patients on insulin therapy, pregnant woman with gestational diabetes and patients with kidney disease,” said Dr Hassanein.
“Structured diabetes education is all about giving patients the knowledge to make informed decisions regarding their behavior and enabling them to effectively self-manage the condition,” he explained.
“A highly individualized management plan and close follow-up are essential to avoid the development of health complications among the patients during Ramadan,” said Dr Abdulrazzak Al Madani, president of Emirates Diabetes Society.
The society estimates that there are 1,000,000 people with diabetes from ages 20-79 in the UAE. You can download the app from DAR’s website of DAR at: www.daralliance.org/daralliance/map/
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