In a study that began 10 years ago in Kuwait, and researchers are still drawing conclusions from it, it is found that 20% of Kuwaiti children are at risk of developing diabetes.
The study is the largest in the Middle East, undertaken with the support and funding of the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences and the Dasman Diabetes Institute. Researcher at the Dasman Diabetes Institute and lecturer at Harvard University Dr Hind Al-Qadri and a number of her fellow researchers worked on it after collecting data of more than 8,000 Kuwaiti children to study the risk factors for obesity and diabetes, Dr Al-Qadri reported that the results showed a high incidence of obesity in Kuwait among children.
In a statement to a local Arabic daily, Dr Al-Qadri confirmed: “It was found that 20% of the children targeted for the study are at risk of developing diabetes, after following them for a long time,” noting that “the main salivary biomarkers in saliva and blood, as well as bacterial patterns in saliva, have been identified, and monitoring of lifestyle habits associated with diabetes and obesity.
Dr Al-Qadri stated that the study concluded that “high rates of inflammatory indicators in children who go to bed late, compared to those who sleep early,” noting that “these inflammatory substances in the body make them more susceptible to diabetes, heart disease and some types of cancers.”
