Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH) has written a letter to Chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Mr. Zaka Ashraf, in which he has been told that sugary drinks are one of the major causes of many types of non-communicable diseases including heart, diabetes, kidney diseases and many types of cancer. Therefore, Pakistan Cricket Board should not be part of the advertisement of sugary drinks.
PANAH Secretary General Sanaullah Ghumman while talking to the media said that more than 33 million people are living with diabetes in Pakistan. Another 10 million people are pre-diabetic. Pakistan ranks first in the world with fastest growth of diabetes . 400,000 people die in Pakistan every year due to diabetes and its complications alone. If no immediate measures are taken, by 2045, the number of diabetes patients in Pakistan will increase to 62 million. He said that sugary drinks are one of the major causes of many non-communicable diseases including diabetes. Sugary drinks alone increase the risk of diabetes by 30%. A small glass of sugary drinks contains 7 to 9 teaspoons of sugar, which leads to a rapid increase in this disease. Our children and youth watch cricket with great passion and consider the players as their heroes. When these players take part in the promotion of sugary drinks, there is a rapid increase in the consumption of these drinks among the youth, which is causing diseases among these young people. I appeal to the cricket board as well as the players that you are our hero. The younger generation follows you. Any action you take changes their life, so please keep your young generation in mind. For the past 40 years, PANAH has not only been educating its citizens to prevent heart disease, diabetes, and other non-communicable diseases, but has also been working with policy makers to help developing policies that will reduce the factors causing these diseases.
The Pakistan Cricket Board should not be part of the promotion of sugary drinks that is major cause of many fatal diseases. Sanaullah Ghumman
