Diabetes study using rats conducted by UAEU

The research was carried out by United Arab Emirates University to look at the effects of sucrose on both healthy and diabetic rats.

DUBAI // A study supported by a grant from Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Medical Sciences has provided a valuable insight into the ways diet can affect heart function, especially in diabetics.

Two groups of diabetic and healthy rats were fed a regular diet and either normal drinking water or water enriched with sugar for eight months. The diabetic and healthy rats provided with sucrose water had higher blood glucose, ate less and drank more than diabetic and healthy rats provided with normal drinking water.

The study took place at the Department of Physiology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences at United Arab Emirates University. It is not known if the results would be replicated in humans.

Prof Sehamuddin Galadari, chairman of the medical research grant committee of the award’s centre for research support, said the study is the latest example of the UAE working to limit the spread of the non-communicable diseases such as diabetes.

“The study stresses the importance of being on a healthy diet to control the disease,” he said.