KARACHI, Feb 25: Today there are 194 million people worldwide who suffer from diabetes. This number is expected to jump to 333 million by the year 2025.

Three-fourths of the 333 million diabetics will be from the developing countries, according to the World Health Organization. During the period under review, a 42 per cent rise in the number of diabetics is expected in the developed countries.

In the developing countries, however, the increase will be a whopping 170 per cent. This was stated by Prof Samad Shera of the Diabetic Association of Pakistan on Wednesday at a health awareness programme held at the Karachi Press Club.

The professor said a survey had shown that about 11.5 per cent of the Pakistanis suffered from diabetes. Another 9 per cent had impaired glucose tolerance.

Put differently, 9 per cent of the Pakistanis could become diabetics if they did not change their lifestyles soon. He urged the journalists present to play a role in creating awareness about the ways to control diabetes.

Prof Mashoor Alam of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre said diabetics could encounter complications of the eye, heart and kidney if they did not keep the sugar levels under control. Diabetics who had high cholesterol, and who smoked too, were at considerable risk of suffering a heart attack.

One spoonful of sugar, said Prof Alam, contained about 30 calories. One hundred grams of oil had some 900 grams. He was of the view that sugar level should be monitored closely by each diabetic because failure to do so might give rise to complications.