Abu Dhabi, UAE 19 May 2014: Regular exercise is one simple solution to encouraging healthy economies and lowering obesity rates, according to Imperial College London Diabetes Centre's (ICLDC) Medical Director, Professor Karim Meeran.

Professor Meeran was speaking recently at ICLDC's newly-launched Diabetes Weekend Intensive Course, which offers medical practitioners an essential overview of diabetes from diagnosis to management. The event sparked conversations around the latest figures from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), which suggest that 382 million people worldwide are living with diabetes.

The two-day weekend event is one of the latest additions to ICLDC's growing Education Series portfolio comprising more than 20 events per year for the local and regional medical community.

Meeran explained to a 200-strong audience about the important role of exercise in helping to lower obesity rates and help prevent the onset of, and manage, diabetes.

"Countries around the world need to do more to up-the-volume on the healthy lifestyle conversation, so that together, we can work towards becoming healthier nations. It is encouraging to see so many physicians from the region coming together in Abu Dhabi to just that."

Meeran is also Professor of Endocrinology at Imperial College London.

"Our genes have evolved over thousands of years to help arm early human populations to survive periods of famine through the storage of fat and the slow release of its energy."

"However, in modern day, this genetic ability can work against us if not managed through proper diet and exercise, and can lead to obesity and diabetes. We all have the ability to protect ourselves and those we care for by striving to maintain a normal body weight by simply adopting a balanced diet and a regular exercise practice."

Another new ICLDC Education Event, Cardiovascular Update, was also held over the same weekend.

The half-day intensive shared the very latest developments in cardiology, with a special emphasis on case studies and practice guidelines.

The two events were attended by over 200 healthcare professionals from the UAE and Pakistan.

For media enquiries:
Susan Furness at Strategic Solutions for ICLDC
Tel.: + 9714 3903030, Mobile: + 97150 6556126
Email: susan@strategicsolutionsonline.com

About Imperial College London Diabetes Centre
Imperial College London Diabetes Centre is a one-stop, state-of-the-art, out-patient facility that specialises in diabetes treatment, research, training and public health awareness.

The Centre was established in Abu Dhabi by Mubadala Healthcare, in partnership with the UK's Imperial College London, in 2006 to address the growing demand for diabetes care in the UAE.  A second facility in Al Ain opened in 2011.  Together, the Centres have offered diabetes prevention, education and treatment to more than 160,000 people.

'Diabetes-Knowledge-Action' is Imperial College London Diabetes Centre's award-winning public health awareness campaign. It was launched in 2007 under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak.

Imperial College London Diabetes Centre holds the Joint Commission International (JCI) Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPC) in Diabetes Management and JCI Accreditation for Ambulatory Care, awarded in 2010 and again in 2013.  The 2010 award made Imperial College London Diabetes Centre the only healthcare provider worldwide to hold both certifications and the first facility in the Middle East and third globally to hold JCI's highly-acclaimed CCPC specifically for the clinical management of diabetes.

For more information log on to www.icldc.ae

© Press Release 2014