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Abstract
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Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic ailment encompassing insulin resistance, an inability to handle glucose effectively in the body. The prevalence of T2DM is among the most common non-communicable ailments across the world. The complications arising from T2DM can be life-threatening, including cardiovascular diseases, nephropathy, neuronal disorders, or retinopathy [1, 2]. As indicated by the World Health Organization, more than 500 million adults across the world suffer from the disease of diabetes, which will rise drastically in the coming decades unless proper measures can be taken [1].
The prevalence of T2DM in the Middle East is on the rise at a rapid pace, particularly in countries such as Iran and Iraq, owing to factors of urbanization, a sedentary lifestyle, improper dietary practices, an increased percentage of geriatric population, among others [2, 3, 5]. The adverse effects of this rise in T2DM prevalence create challenges to the medical facilities [2, 4, 6].
Lifestyle factors, among them diet, physical exercise, stress, and sleep, are established risk factors not only in the development of T2DM, as well as its management [6]. The adverse effects of lifestyle factors, among them consuming excessive sugar and saturated fats, lack of physical exercise, stress, and inadequate sleep, contribute immensely to hyperglycemic states as well as increased susceptibility to complications of T2DM [7]. Moreover, adopting healthy lifestyle practices has been demonstrated to decrease the possibility of acquiring T2DM, as well as aiding in disease glycemic control among T2DM patients [8].
Although there do seem to be a few similarities between the cultures of Iran and Iraq, the two countries vary in many aspects including food habits, healthcare accessibility, public health practices, and socioeconomic factors [5]. This could lead to the emergence of divergent lifestyle practices, as well as differing levels of T2DM occurrence and its control strategies. Althoug
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