KITLIVING
As the novel coronavirus pandemic continues, news, views
and support for people with diabetes is emerging almost daily.
Here's a round up to keep you in the loop…
CORONAVIRUS UPDATE (2)
Staying safe & well in lockdown
T
he month of May saw
worrying stats linked to
diabetes and Covid-19
when it was reported that
26% of UK deaths from
the virus were people with diabetes. Of
course, it wasn't the first time diabetes
or associated conditions and the health
of individual nations had been in the
spotlight.
Earlier in April, the publication
European Scientist outlined facts and
figures surrounding Covid-19, obesity and
chronic metabolic disease, encouraging
people to be more health aware during
the pandemic. The article argued that the
general health in many western countries
was in a poor state before the Covid-19
outbreak, stating that over 60% of adults
are overweight or obese In the UK and
USA. It says this is relevant to Covid-19
because "excess body fat induces immune
dysregulation and chronic inflammation,
which is directly linked to the cytokine storm
that is responsible for Acute Respiratory
Distress Syndrome seen in influenza and
other respiratory viruses."
Data from the first 2,204 patients
admitted to 286 NHS ICUs with Covid19 reveal
that 72.7% were overweight or
obese. But it's not just weight - a larger
waist circumference is an issue of chronic
metabolic disease, which can affect many
of 'normal' weight. The article also cites
that just 12.2% of American adults are
considered metabolically healthy, with
less than a third of normal-weight people
also in this category. The article links this
with Type 2 diabetes by quoting from the
publication Nature that, "Patients with
Type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
might have to up 10 times greater risk of
death when they contract Covid-19". As
a result, the authors called for mandatory
glucose and metabolic control of people
with Type 2 diabetes to improve outcomes
and suggested this should be a priority in
all people with the virus.
To read the article CLICK HERE.
Food industry?
Rumbling away since the pandemic
began, the food industry has been under
scrutiny as the evidence mounted that
a poor diet is a significant factor behind
increased mortality from Covid-19.
Research from the US Centre for Disease
Control examining 99 countries and 14
states in March has shown that 60% of
patients aged 18-49 hospitalised with the
virus were obese. It was also the biggest
risk factor in people aged 50-64. At the
same time, obesity was also an underlying
condition in 41% of patients over the age
of 65 with high blood pressure being
prominent in over 70% of cases.
Medical professionals called for public
health messages to be updated as a
matter of urgency. London Cardiologist Dr
Aseem Malhotra told the BBC that "the
time is now to tell the public to change
their diet" and we "could significantly
reduce risk of dying from COVID-19
by changing your diet." He went on to
continued over