DUBAI // Nearly one in four UAE residents suffer from digestive ailments but do not seek treatment, a survey suggests.
One thousand people took part in the survey on digestive health commissioned by medical products maker Johnson & Johnson.
It found many misconceptions among them about digestive conditions. For example, some did not seek treatment for diarrhoea because they thought it was not severe or that it flushed out toxins, said Dr Fatma Al Attar, the head of the Dubai Health Authority’s Preventive Services Centre and chairwoman of the council that discussed the survey.
Twenty-three per cent of respondents said they had suffered from diarrhoea but did not seek treatment, even when it was chronic or lasted more than a month. The possible causes for the condition include stress, hormones, medication and dietary intolerances.
Respondents also reported other digestive issues such as heartburn and constipation, which can be caused by their diet, dehydration, and lack of physical activity.
Digestive problems could indicate food intolerance or allergies, said Dr Hussain Hattawi, a consultant immunologist and the head of Dubai Hospital’s immunology unit.
“Most of the time, symptoms occur in the first four hours after ingesting,” he said.
Symptoms may include stomach cramps or diarrhoea.
“If they have a gastroenterological problem, they should seek help,” said Dr Hattawi.
“My advice is not to seek an allergist immediately unless the patient has no doubt it is from food.”
Rashi Chowdhary, a Dubai-based nutritionist, said digestive issues could be strongly linked to genetics, stress and lifestyle habits. “Even if it’s genetic and stress-related, the trigger is always food,” she said. “If you eat clean, cut out the processed food, manage to push in the right source of carbohydrates, good fatty acids and adequate amounts of protein, there is really no reason for your digestive system to act up.”
Dr Hattawi sid people with digestive health problems should seek help from a general physician or gastroenterologist.
Ms Chowdhary said: “A lot of people here have accepted having a headache a few times a week, low energy levels through the day, feeling bloated or having acidity after meals to be normal.”
Taking care of the digestive system, eating nourishing foods and encouraging growth of healthy bacteria “can help people feel more energetic, improve their metabolism, lose weight and improve hormone function”, she said.
lcarroll@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
Price: Dh230,000
On sale: now
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
