Proper nutrition key to fighting diseases in children

Abu Dhabi: Top nutritionists on Sunday stressed the need to educate mothers and teachers to help better manage the nutritional needs of children who have diabetes and cancer.

"Proper nutrition is the first line of defence in managing diseases among children," said Professor Sana'a Yousuf, head of the nutrition rehabilitation unit of Children's Hospital, Ain Shams University, Cairo.

She said many mothers and teachers are unaware of how proper food play an important part in treatment of diabetic children and children with blood cancer. The professor spoke to Gulf News on the sidelines of Nutricia Middle East Nutrition Conference at Yas Island, attended by international experts.

She said the medications for blood cancer have serious side-effects and children are unable to eat and this is where proper nutrition is important. "The awareness [of proper medical nutrition] is only beginning now," she said.

Junk food

The professor said eating junk food reduces one's immunity and the body has less protection to fight the onslaught of diseases.

She said fast foods are high in cholesterol and refined sugars, which lead to obesity, hypertension and stroke.

Dr Wafa Ayesh, Director of clinical nutrition at the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), said a proper diet regime is important in the treatment of lifestyle diseases and that a nutritional programme should be tailored to each individual or child. "Proper diet regimes saves lives," she said.

Conference chairman Wael Hamza said medical nutrition is neglected in the Middle East region.

"There are certain diseases which require special nutrition to combat the disease," he said. "Cancer patients die because they severely lose weight," he said.

Julian Tonna, marketing director of Nutricia, said some metabolic disorders are rare but because of consanguinity [cousin marriages] in the region, it is high. "If you have a bad [genetic] disorder in the family, it is kept within the family and becomes more pronounced."