Fast foods such as hamburgers, fried chicken and pizza are a factor in obesity and diabetes. Fatima Al Marzouqi / The National
Fast foods such as hamburgers, fried chicken and pizza are a factor in obesity and diabetes. Fatima Al Marzouqi / The National
Fast foods such as hamburgers, fried chicken and pizza are a factor in obesity and diabetes. Fatima Al Marzouqi / The National
Fast foods such as hamburgers, fried chicken and pizza are a factor in obesity and diabetes. Fatima Al Marzouqi / The National

Heart disease growing as UAE bucks trend among developed nations, say researchers


  • English
  • Arabic

Decreasing life expectancy and increasing heart disease among Emiratis is placing new urgency on a critical new study investigating the root causes of the high levels of diabetes, obesity and heart disease in the UAE.

“In most Western, developed nations, heart disease has been falling for many years, but in the UAE, after a period when it was falling, it started to increase again,” said Dr Raghib Ali, director of the Public Health Research Center at New York University Abu Dhabi. “Now the UAE, for the first time since the country was created, is facing declining life expectancy because of the increased risk of heart disease today.”

Dr Ali said he hopes a pioneering new longitudinal study he is leading looking into the root causes of the high levels of diabetes, obesity and heart disease in the UAE will help address and prevent these public health issues in the future.

“Our study is focusing on obesity and diabetes and heart disease because heart disease is the number one killer, and diabetes is the number one risk factor for heart disease, and obesity is the number one risk factor for diabetes,” said Dr Ali, who is the principal investigator of the UAE Healthy Future Study, which began earlier this year.

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NYU Abu Dhabi and the NYU Langone Medical Center have collaborated with local partners in Abu Dhabi to conduct the long-term study and are looking to recruit 20,000 Emiratis between the ages of 18 to 40 years to participate.

Since the study was announced in February, 3,000 Emiratis have registered.

“In general, people are very happy to take part, they see it as a service to the community and to the nation,” said Dr Ali. “Most people know someone in their family who either has diabetes or has heart disease and they recognise that this is the only way to really understand what the cause of these diseases are among Emiratis. And, once they understand that, the majority are not just willing, but keen to take part.”

A new UAE Healthy Future Study registration and assessment centre opened at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi last month to encourage more Emirati volunteers to enlist.

Registration takes about 45 minutes and requires participants to fill out a questionnaire, provide body measurements and samples of blood, urine and saliva.

Recruitment will continue through 2018 and Dr Ali said he expects the first follow-up with the volunteers to take place in 2019.

The transient nature of expatriates living in the UAE excluded them from the study, which requires participants to be present for future follow-ups.

It will take at least 10 years for researchers to collect a minimum amount of sufficient data that will allow them to understand the role genetics and lifestyle choices play in causing obesity, diabetes and heart disease among Emiratis.

“We have a lot of data from Western populations and a little bit from China and India and a few other populations, but we have no local data,” said Dr Ali.

“The ultimate aim of this study is to prevent these diseases, but the first step is to understand how important the different risk factors are, because they are not the same in every population, so we need local data.”

Participants can sign up by visiting the UAE Healthy Future registration and assessment centre near the main reception area at the Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

The study is being conducted in collaboration with Zayed Military Hospital, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha), Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Healthpoint Hospital, Abu Dhabi Blood Bank, Al Ain Regional Blood Bank, UAE University, Khalifa University, and Zayed University in Abu Dhabi.

For more information and for participation details, please visit the UAE Healthy Future study website on UAEHealthyFuture.ae  or contact the study team on 8002327.

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While you're here
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

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Specs

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Range: Up to 610km

Power: 905hp

Torque: 985Nm

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Federer's 19 grand slam titles

Australian Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Marat Safin; 2006 bt Marcos Baghdatis; 2007 bt Fernando Gonzalez; 2010 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Rafael Nadal

French Open (1 title) - 2009 bt Robin Soderling

Wimbledon (8 titles) - 2003 bt Mark Philippoussis; 2004 bt Andy Roddick; 2005 bt Andy Roddick; 2006 bt Rafael Nadal; 2007 bt Rafael Nadal; 2009 bt Andy Roddick; 2012 bt Andy Murray; 2017 bt Marin Cilic

US Open (5 titles) - 2004 bt Lleyton Hewitt; 2005 bt Andre Agassi; 2006 bt Andy Roddick; 2007 bt Novak Djokovic; 2008 bt Andy Murray

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'Lost in Space'

Creators: Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Irwin Allen

Stars: Molly Parker, Toby Stephens, Maxwell Jenkins

Rating: 4/5

The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

Premier Futsal 2017 Finals

Al Wasl Football Club; six teams, five-a-side

Delhi Dragons: Ronaldinho
Bengaluru Royals: Paul Scholes
Mumbai Warriors: Ryan Giggs
Chennai Ginghams: Hernan Crespo
Telugu Tigers: Deco
Kerala Cobras: Michel Salgado

INFO

Schools can register for the Abu Dhabi Schools Championships at www.champions.adsc.ae

Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books

Company profile

Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space

Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)

Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)

Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi 

Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution) 

Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space  

Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019

BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
  2. Cinematography, shots and movement.
  3. All aspects of post-production.
  4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
  7. Professional ethics.
GULF MEN'S LEAGUE

Pool A Dubai Hurricanes, Bahrain, Dubai Exiles, Dubai Tigers 2

Pool B Abu Dhabi Harlequins, Jebel Ali Dragons, Dubai Knights Eagles, Dubai Tigers

 

Opening fixtures

Thursday, December 5

6.40pm, Pitch 8, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Dubai Knights Eagles

7pm, Pitch 2, Jebel Ali Dragons v Dubai Tigers

7pm, Pitch 4, Dubai Hurricanes v Dubai Exiles

7pm, Pitch 5, Bahrain v Dubai Eagles 2

 

Recent winners

2018 Dubai Hurricanes

2017 Dubai Exiles

2016 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

2015 Abu Dhabi Harlequins

2014 Abu Dhabi Harlequins