The recently-held 50th European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting has vowed to promote excellence in diabetes care through quality research and education.
Nearly 18,000 participants from across the world including Bangladesh attended the five-day long conference to discuss the wefts and warps of health, diabetes, endocrinology, medical and medicine issues.
"The EASD encourages and supports research in the field of diabetes; ensures rapid diffusion of acquired knowledge and facilitates its application," EASD president Professor Andrew JM Boulton said.
"Since its foundation in 1965, EASD has been organising such annual meeting which has become the largest international annual conference on diabetes research worldwide," a participant said.
"The EASD 2014 attracted opinion leaders, academic researchers, physicians and other health care professionals and offered an excellent platform for discussion and the opportunity to learn about new research as well as the latest news and updates in the world of diabetes research and care," Professor Andrew JM Boulton said.
The impact of weight on metabolic health, the foundation of appetite regulation, the challenge of exercise and type 1 diabetes, hypoglycaemia, basal insulin therapy and insulin & incretin combination therapy were discussed by the experts during the sessions.
Arya Sharma, professor and chair in obesity research and management at the university of Alberta in a session discussed obesity as a disease and reviewed the impact of weight on metabolic health.
Obesity, defined as a body mass index is a risk factor for the development of type 2 diabetes.
"The global prevalence of overweight or obesity is now almost 40 per cent, equating to approximately 2.1 billion people, of which over 670 million are obese," a recent study disclosed.
A 5 to 10 per cent weight loss can reduce the risk of developing T2D as well as the risk of developing other cardio-metabolic comorbidities.
"Professional medical associations and authoritative bodies increasingly support the classification that obesity should be considered a disease requiring medical intervention,"
Obesity is a disease that requires chronic management. It is associated with serious comorbidities including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), certain types of cancer and a decreased life expectancy. The risk of morbidity and mortality increases with the severity of obesity. It is a complex and multi-factorial disease that is influenced by genetic, physiological, environmental and psychological factors.
The global increase in the prevalence of obesity is a public health issue that has severe cost implications to healthcare systems. In the US, approximately 35 per cent of adults, or some 100 million people, live with obesity.
Phil Southerland, a former professional cyclist who has kept his type 1 diabetes under control for over 30 years through careful management of his diet, exercise and insulin regimen in a session narrated his life-style saga.
"Although living with diabetes is challenging, by using physical activity and staying motivated to manage their condition, people with diabetes can pursue their dreams and life ambitions," Phil narrated.
New insulin preparations
Professor David Russell-Jones of Royal Surrey County Hospital, Guildford of UK in his presentation said that there have been a number of exciting developments in the field of insulin replacement therapy in recent years. All three of the major insulin manufacturers-Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi-have new insulin preparations under development with many compounds in late phase III trials. The latest published information was presented on basal insuilns; Degludec, U300 Glargine, Biosimilar Glargine, and Pegylated Lispro. In addition new data on rapid acting insulins especially FIASP (faster acting insulin as part) was shown.
"Development of insulin analogues continues a pace and there is the real prospect of creating more physiological insulin replacement," the session was told.
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