NEWS
Diabetes UK and British pro boxer Muhammad Ali (below)
share five top tips to help people with diabetes in the Muslim
community stay healthy during Ramadan.
Fighting fit in Ramadan
R
amadan, which this
year runs from around
23 April for 29 or 30
days, requires Muslims
to fast from sunrise to
sunset. People who are ill or have medical
conditions don't have to fast - including
those with diabetes. However, some
people still choose to do so.
This year, Ramadan also falls when
the suspected peak of the COVID-19
pandemic could take place, prompting
the charity to remind people marking
the occasion to do so safely by adhering
to social distancing rules and avoid
unnecessary hospital admissions by
fasting in a healthy way.
Five top tips:
1. If you are unwell or have any symptoms
of COVID-19 - do not fast.
2. If you do choose to fast, before you
start; include more slowly absorbed foods
(low GI), such as basmati rice and dhal, in
your meal, along with fruit and vegetables.
3. During your fast, if you already check
your blood sugar levels, do this more than
usual.
4. When you break the fast, have only
small quantities of food, and avoid only
eating sweet or fatty foods.
5. Stay at home - do not be tempted to
visit family, friends or the mosque during
this time.
NEWS
REPORT
Daniel Howarth, Head of Care at Diabetes
UK, says, "We know that ultimately it is
a personal choice to fast, but if you do
choose to when you have diabetes, you
must take extra precautions to make
sure you are not putting your health at
risk. If you have diabetes, fasting can risk
aggravating complications associated
with the condition, such as poor vision,
heart or kidney disease, hypoglycaemia
and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) -
conditions that can require emergency
hospital treatment. If you're fasting and
you feel that you are having a hypo, you
must break your fast and take some
sugary fluids followed by starchy food as
otherwise you will harm your body and
may need medical attention. You can find
further advice on our website. If you're
showing any symptom of COVID-19, our
advice would be not to fast."
Professional Boxer Muhammed Ali,
who has Type 1 diabetes, has filmed
a video to share these tips. He said:
"Ramadan is a special time for the Muslim
community, but for those with diabetes
there are increased risks and it's important
that everyone does their best to stay
fighting fit during this pandemic - in order
to help the NHS. As a boxer with diabetes
I always say I'm just like any other ordinary
person and that life is not about waiting
for the storm to pass by; but learning to
weather the storm. These top tips are
easy to do and follow and make living
with diabetes during Ramadan that little
bit safer."
www.diabetes.org.uk
Ramadan is a special
time for the Muslim
community, but for
those with diabetes
there are increased
risks and it's important
that everyone does
their best to stay
fighting fit during this
pandemic in order to
help the NHS.
- Muhammed Ali
"