The director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), Sheikh Dr Mohamed bin Hamad al-Thani, has highlighted the ministry's commitment to driving change for future generations by connecting the dots between obesity and diabetes.This came in his opening speech at the Second Qatar Diabetes and Obesity Research Symposium at the Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel, organised by the MoPH in collaboration with the Qatar Metabolic Institute (QMI) and Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC).The symposium was held alongside the annual Qatar Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolic Conference 7 (QDEM-7).The Second Qatar Diabetes and Obesity Research Symposium brought together diverse research topics with clinical impact, with speakers from Qatar and international research leaders.Sheikh Dr Mohamed said that while the exact causes of diabetes are still not fully understood, obesity is believed to account for 60-70% of the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.The good news is that is that being overweight, obesity, prediabetes, and type 2 diabetes are largely preventable".Chair of the National Diabetes Strategy Research Sub-Committee and director of the National Obesity Treatment Centre, Prof Shahrad Taheri, opened the symposium.The symposium fosters collaboration between Qatar’s scientists and institutions, which is key to fast-tracking research in diabetes and obesity and enhancing the quality and outcomes for people living with diabetes and obesity in Qatar.In addition to this annual gathering, the National Diabetes Committee is organising and delivering live webinars for healthcare professionals.The online bi-weekly delivery of the webinars allows for continuous updates on key diabetes and obesity research projects taking place in Qatar and serves as an invaluable resource to the multidisciplinary community of researchers, physicians, nurses, and allied healthcare professionals.The head of Non-Communicable Disease at the MoPH and co-chair of the National Diabetes Committee, Dr Kholoud al-Mutawaa, noted: "The 2023 Diabetes and Obesity Research Symposium successfully provided information on new advances in diabetes and obesity research in Qatar."The in-person programme offered one day of lectures and discussions dedicated to diabetes and obesity research, delivered by national and international leaders in the field, including a poster exhibition, and is followed by two days of lectures covering diverse aspects of endocrinology, diabetes, pituitary and thyroid disorders, obesity, paediatric endocrinology, and lipid management, as part of the annual QDEM-7, which continues today and tomorrow.The co-chair of the National Diabetes Committee and director of the QMI, Prof Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra, emphasised that "diabetes and obesity are major healthcare challenges globally"."In Qatar, diabetes afflicts 17% in adults, which is almost twice the global average," he said. "A further 20% of the population have prediabetes.""Obesity and type 2 diabetes are interconnected. In Qatar, specifically, it is estimated that for every two out three people with type 2 diabetes, obesity is the cause," Prof Abou-Samra said. "However, weight loss with appropriate early lifestyle interventions can reverse the course of diabetes as proven by the HMC’s diabetes reversal programme.""The National Diabetes Committee has been tasked to develop a plan for obesity in Qatar to be included in the next National Diabetes Action Plan," he added.
March 02, 2023 | 10:52 PM