Q: Kindly give me the latest information on how to increase body weight in lean diabetics on oral hypoglycaemic drugs for the last 3 years. I am a 39 year male, 55 kg/167 cms.

A:At this weight, with associated fatigue and pain, I would very much like to know what your diabetes control is like, as I strongly suspect you are in very poor control. For this, apart from regular blood glucose (BG) tests, you will need a test called glycosylated hemoglobin or HbA1c, which gives the average BG over the previous 2-3 months. If you are indeed poorly controlled, you need to start insulin immediately, and take it in the proper way, in the proper doses, as guided by home BG monitoring, under the guidance of a good diabetologist. If you remain in poor diabetes control, please remember that not only will you stay underweight and constantly tired, but you are also at risk for chronic complications like kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, heart attacks, and gangrene.