There has been a rise in people coming with high diabetes at out-patient departments post-Diwali. City doctors have pointed at a high-calorie diet during the festive season as a reason. Many patients have reported blood sugar levels of 400-500 mg/dL. Doctors said many of these patients have also reported fever, dizziness, urinary and skin infections.  

This year, people celebrated Diwali without any restrictions after two years, and this seems to have affected their dietary choices too. Dr Girish Parmar, endocrinologist at Nanavati Max Super Speciality Hospital, said, “It is a tradition to distribute sweets, snacks, and dry fruits during the festive season. And this, in turn, leads to high sugar levels due to excessive intake of calories. Post-Diwali I’m seeing around 50 patients a day, of whom 40 per cent come with very high sugar levels, above 300 mg/dl. Some of them also reported infections due to diabetes, while in some cases the infection led to a rise in sugar level. It generally takes three to four weeks to bring the blood sugar level under control if the patient is disciplined. I will advise people to celebrate festivals mindfully. Choose your food, including sweets, well and compensate for it by doing physical activity.”