"For this reason it is necessary for Saudi nationals to be more careful about their lifestyles, especially as it pertains to the food that is readily available here and which they can well afford," said Philip David Home, professor at Newcastle University, during a news briefing recently in Riyadh.

He added that diabetes and heart disease are the two main causes of death in the Kingdom, which has the second highest rate of diabetes in the GCC after the UAE.

Asked how to control the disease, he said that regular physical exercise, wholesome dietary habits and healthy lifestyle are some of the best ways to protect people in the Kingdom from developing Type 2 diabetes — a health disorder forerunner to many other medical complications.

Harry Howlett, a London-based specialist in diabetes research and education, outlined the role of metformin in the management of patients with Type 2 diabetes.

It is used as a first-line treatment of Type 2 diabetes in obese people. It is also used when diet and exercise fail to control blood sugar levels. It can also be used in combination with other anti-diabetic medicines to provide better control of blood sugar.

"Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the disease. Numerous people in the Kingdom have been diagnosed with this kind of disease and many more are not aware that they are at high risk," Howlett said.

A report said that diabetes can cause 39 percent of artery diseases, 32 percent of diabetic patients suffer from kidney diseases that lead to kidney failure and 23 percent suffer from eye diseases.