The Chronic Care Center's Nutritionist, Joanna Najjar, touched on the eating patterns that ought to be followed by diabetics in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying: "Home quarantine has had a major impact on the eating behaviors and physical activity of many, both adults and children. It affected the quantity and quality of food, inflicting a change on people's weight averages."
Tackling misconceptions regarding the diet of diabetics, Najjar underscored the importance of a balanced diet, on the one hand, and maintaining physical activity on the other hand, affirming that consuming healthy and nutritious foods and steering clear of processed foods are key for an improved immune system.
Chief of Infectious Diseases Division at St. George University Hospital, Dr. Claude Afif, explained that diabetics in general are not more susceptible than others to COVID-19, but are indeed more likely than others to develop serious diseases or complications, especially type II diabetes patients.
Pertaining to the contribution of students' return to schools to the increase in coronavirus infection cases among diabetics, Dr. Afif indicated that studies on this topic are still inconclusive, but the decision to return [to school] must be individual.
The workshop included a testimony by the representative of Young Leaders in Diabetes at the International Diabetes Federation, Samar Kheir, who emphasized the patients' need to adhere to the necessary preventive measures and follow quarantine instructions, noting that the latter has contributed to her sense of self-discovery and her understanding of the effects of diabetes on her outlook on life in general.
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