KARACHI, Oct 31: The diabetics who try to control their blood sugar through better diet or the use of blood-lowering tablets should fast during Ramazan. Fasting not only helps them lower their blood sugar but their weight is reduced too.

However, the diabetics who use insulin should not fast because their sugar levels may fluctuate too rapidly if they do so, a specialist told Dawn on Friday. Prof Zaman Sheikh said fasting actually was a blessing for diabetics who did not use insulin.

“Actually this is a godsend, literally. You know we advise a number of patients to control their sugar levels through improved and better diet. A diet which is short on sugar and oils, etc.

“Ramazan provides these diabetics an additional opportunity to exercise restraint which can only be good for them. The same goes for the patients who use blood-lowering tablets. They can also benefit from fasting regularly during Ramazan.”

The professor of medicine, however, advised the diabetics to refrain from using rich foods that are normally consumed in large quantities at Sehr or Iftar. “The whole idea can be defeated if proper kind of foods are not consumed.”

Regarding patients who use insulin, Prof Sheikh said those who inject less than or equal to 40 units once a day may also fast. “However, for patients who inject more than 40 units, fasting may prove to be problematic.”

He said the patients who use blood lowering tablets should use more of these at the time of Iftar than at Sehr. “Normally we advise patients to use more tablets at the time of breakfast but for Ramazan we advise them to take more tablets at the end of a fast.”