Citizens in the UAE are gripped to the Dubai Fitness Challenge, and there couldn’t have been a better time than November, which marks the celebration of World Diabetes Day, which is held on 14 November each year to raise awareness about the condition and its negative implications. In an effort to improve bone and joint health of the UAE citizens, medical experts from Burjeel Hospital for Advanced Surgery (BHAS) recommend varied forms of fitness activities to create a positive impact for bones and joints.

“Diabetes has often been related to heart disease, stroke, neuropathy and eye problems, but problems related to bones are often neglected. Taking this as an opportunity, we would like to encourage people with diabetes, who are at an increased risk of bone diseases to immerse themselves into fitness activities,” said Dr. Amr Osman, Specialist Orthopedic Surgeon at Burjeel Hospital for Advanced Surgery (BHAS).
It has been observed that individuals with diabetes have 1-2 times greater chance of fractures. In fact, people with type 2 diabetes could have three times greater the risk of bone fracture than those with normal blood sugar, depending on skeleton size and how long someone has had diabetes. A study, by the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Berlin, Germany, has found that diabetes is tied to a greater likelihood of having several musculoskeletal disorders including osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis.

According to Dr. Amr Osman, a healthy diet with plenty of calcium and vitamin D and regular weight-bearing exercise are key to slowing bone loss, improving balance and preventing falls and injuries. In addition, avoiding smoking and maintaining a healthy body weight can help combat diabetes and the conditions associated with it.