Zubair Qureshi
Major General (Retd) Masood-ur-Rehman Kayani, President, Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) while addressing a seminar on “Health Hazards Of Sugar Sweetened Beverages” said no country can achieve progress unless it pays adequate attention to health of its people.
If we do not make healthy food a part of our lives with a healthy environment, a sick society will be created, said he adding, besides we need to legislate to protect our people from diseases and their causes in a timely manner.
Pakistan Sweet Homes’ Patron-in-Chief Zamurd Khan, Member National Assembly Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali , General Secretary (Panah) Sana Allah Ghuman, Col (Retd) Dr Shahid Ahmed, Cardiologist Dr Shahbaz Qureshi, representatives of Cardiac Society, High Potential Society, Pakistan Medical Association, Pakistan Family Physician, Diabetic Society, Chest Society, Campaign For tobacco free Kids HDF, Spark and senior journalists were also present on the occasion.
Maj Gen Masood Kayani further said that Panah has been fighting for the last 36 years to save people from heart disease.
According to Cheryl Anderson, author and professor at the University of California, San Diego, people who consume more than one or two sugary drinks on a daily basis have a 42% increased risk of developing heart disease, according to The British Medical Journal (BMJ).
According to a report by Center for Science in the Public Interest, young people who drink sugary drinks a day are 27% more likely to become obese.
According to Writer Brain Krans, people who use sugary drinks have an increased risk of early death, as well as heart disease, cancer, obesity, stroke, diabetes, digestive health, as well as tremors, according to welfare organizations.
Sanaullah Ghumman suggested to the government that if the tax on sugary drinks is increased, Billions of rupees in revenue will be collected, It will be helpful in development projects, but this proposal will not be implemented.
He also referred to the recent survey that this year when Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqaat sought feedback from 157,000 followers on his Twitter account on the ban on sugary drinks, 90 per cent of the participants spoke in favor of banning the sale of sugary drinks in educational institutions, which reflects positive thinking.
We are not against any institution, we just want to build a healthy society, said Sanaullah Ghumman.
Diabetes Expert Colonel Dr. Shahid Ahmad while giving a briefing said that the main cause of heart attack is diabetes, which is caused by consumption of sugary drinks and too much sugar. There are 425 million diabetics, one out of every eleven in the world, while one out of every five in Pakistan. One out of every six pregnant women in our country has diabetes. Diabetes is on the rise in Africa.
Pakistan is currently the 4th most diabetic country in the world. To avoid diabetes, stay away from sugary drinks, use low-fat cooking oil, make a 30-minute walk a day a routine, get fat, get diabetes medication on time, to avoid any harm.
Zamurd Khan while praising the Panah efforts said Panah had always given awareness and the campaign must be made public through media, many diseases including heart are part of our society.
In the end of seminar the participants praised Panah efforts for holding a seminar on such an important issue.
