By Our Staff Reporter KARACHI - Four scientific sessions were held at Jinnah Sindh Medical University (JSMU) on the second day of a 3-day Pakistan International Biennial Conference on “Ramadan and Health”. Doctors and scientists from Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates presented their research papers on the topic of the moot. Speaking about variation in nutritional intake in Ramadan, Prof Zaman Shaikh of Sir Syed Institute of Diabetes & Endocrinology said that most of people usually eat heavy and oily foods during Ramadan and thus complicate many diseases. “Fasting in Ramadan can be good for your health provided selection of foods was correct. Most of psychological changes that occur fast in Ramadan could be due to variation in diet and frequency of meal,” he opined. He advised people to eat fruits, yogurt and drink juices, besides plenty of water which will help in reducing the water’s concentration in the body. Prof Samad Shera said that a number of complications are reduced with the timely control of sugar. He urged the diabetic patients to check their sugar level regularly in Ramadan. Prof Abdul Basit of Baqai University said that Ramadan is a great opportunity to focus on bringing back a balanced and healthy lifestyle and it is through fasting that people could learn how to manage their eating habits and improve self-discipline. Later, Prof Qamar Masood, Abdulbari Bener from Turkey, Mafauzy Mohamed (Malaysia) and Adel Abdel Aziz El- Syed (Egypt) urged the patients suffering from different diseases to follow a proper guideline vis-à-vis their particular condition while fasting during Ramadan.
