Background: Herbal and dietary supplements (HDS) are commonly used for diabetes management and health maintenance due to their perceived safety and benefits. However, HDS can… Read More »Herbal and Dietary Supplement Use among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) from a Rural Region in Malaysia: A Cross-Sectional Study
In Malaysia, the prevalence of diabetes is highest in Western Pacific region affecting around 1 in every 5 adults. Diabetes management is often complex and diabetes knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) are vital to make appropriate adjustments in daily lifestyles. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the level of KAP and its associated socio-demographic and disease-related factors among diabetes patients in Labuan Federal Territory, Malaysia. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 121 Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients in the Health Clinic of Labuan Federal Territory from November 2021 to January 2022. Patients ≥18 years old who can understand English or Malay and on regular treatment in the clinic were recruited via convenience sampling method to assess their KAP level via a validated self-administered KAP questionnaire. Results: On average, the participants have poor knowledge level, attitude level, yet good practice level towards diabetes. Significant moderate correlation was observed between knowledge and attitude (r=0.454; P<0.001), knowledge and practice (r=0.463; P<0.001) as well as attitude and practice (r=0.402; P<0.001). In addition, knowledge, attitude and practice towards DM are significantly associated with other variables such as educational level, monthly income, attended DM program and occupation. Conclusion: Diabetes patients in Labuan have poor knowledge towards DM, poor attitude towards DM and good DM practice. As diabetes education is paramount to better self-care among patients, diabetes programs that are suited to the local setting or culture is needed to empower patients with adequate knowledge for its management.
Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus and prediabetes are showing an increasing number of cases and are predicted to keep increasing over the years. Both conditions have a 2-3-fold increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Intermittent fasting is one of the forms of dietary intervention being practiced in preventing and managing these conditions and their associated complications. There are many reported benefits of intermittent fasting for health, but no specific studies discussed regarding the effect of this practice on cardiovascular health of these patients. Objective: This study is aiming to systematically review the benefits of intermittent fasting on cardiovascular health of these groups of patients. Methods: This systematic review followed the guideline of PRISMA and was registered at PROSPERO with the registration number of CRD42022378349. A systematic literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar and by using snowball technique. The articles retrieved were independently screened by two authors against the eligibility criteria in stages of title, abstract and full text. The risk of bias in the included studies were assessed independently by two authors using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist. Data from all the included articles were extracted using a predetermined template. Results: Twelve studies were included in this study. Six studies recorded low risk of bias while the other six studies had moderate risk of bias. Three studies recorded significant reduction for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and 3 studies showed significant improvement in the lipid profiles at the end of intervention. Conclusion: Intermittent fasting is beneficial for cardiovascular health of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus patients mainly by improving both systolic and diastolic blood pressure and the lipid profiles. Randomized controlled trials that investigate specifically the benefits of this practice on the cardiovascular health of these populations are needed to confirm the findings.