OBESITY can be “caught” as easily as a common cold from other people’s coughs, sneezes and dirty hands, scientists will claim today.

"There is good clinical evidence that at every age and every situation the insulin pump is successful, however insulin is only one part of a successful Diabetes management strategy," observed Professor Battelino.

Professor Battelino of the University Medical Centre of Ljubljana in Slovenia was speaking to more than 100 Abu Dhabi-based medical professionals at Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC). He stressed the radical developments in insulin pump therapy and importance of carbohydrate counting.

"It is very important to ensure that individual eating patterns are in rhythm with prescribed insulin therapy," he said. Meanwhile, Wafa Ayesh, Head of Clinical Nutrition at Dubai's Rashid Hospital, supported Professor Battelino's observations stressing the importance of carbohydrate counting.

She said that an easy method now assigns each food item with a 'point value' based on the amount of carbohydrates contained, therefore stream-lining the process for the patient. "However, we continue to find that patients are confused about what constitutes a carbohydrate.

"Patients bring me a box and point out that it reads 'sugar free' on it. I have to explain that there are things other than sugar which are carbohydrates, such as potatoes and wheat," said Ms Ayesh.

Professor Battelino confirmed the recently-launched, Internet-based monitoring component of the insulin pump therapy. "This will play a vital role in the treatment of Diabetes as it provides healthcare professionals with direct and up-to-the-minute information, such as blood glucose levels," he concluded.

A fatty liver syndrome frequently thought to be the result of an excessive alcohol intake has now been linked to Diabetes, according to Professor Simon Taylor-Robinson, a visiting specialist at Abu Dhabi's Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC).

"For a long time doctors have thought that fatty liver condition was linked to high alcohol consumption. "However, the condition is now known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and is found to be present in many people living with Diabetes," Professor Taylor-Robinson observed. He went on to explain that the liver tends to respond in the same way, whether the cause is alcohol or Diabetes.

"The nature of the liver is that alcohol-related fatty liver disease is difficult to distinguish from Diabetes-related fatty liver disease," he said. He added that research shows that the rate of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is increasing in line with the burgeoning growth rate of obesity.

"Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease generally develops slowly and is often associated with Diabetes, insulin resistance and obesity. People who have simple fatty liver in their forties might develop fibrosis or cirrhosis after several years."

However, Professor Taylor-Robinson said that the good news is that recent studies also suggest that liver damage does not have to be permanent. "There is a very good chance that the condition can be reversed in many patients as research has shown that the liver can repair itself, even in the stage of advanced cirrhosis.

In line with the recommended healthy lifestyle treatment for Diabetes, fatty-liver disease also requires patients to adopt a combination of a good diet and regular exercise for the reversal to be successful. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide have Diabetes and this number is likely to more than double by 2030.

Professor Taylor-Robinson, who was speaking at one of ICLDC's on-going series of specialist lectures, said that Diabetes-related fatty liver too is on the increase worldwide: "It is much more common than originally thought," he concluded.