Q: My father is suffering from jaundice from the past 20 days. There is no improvement in spite of medication. He is a diabetic patient for the past 6 years. The diet as prescribed in jaundice is to have rice and some sweet things like fruits, potato, which are harmful for a diabetic patient. If he takes the diet as prescribed for jaundice, his sugar level increases and if he doesn't, he does not recover. He also has a lot of weakness. What should be his diet in this case?

A:Let me clarify the age old thinking that taking rice and sugar based diet (such as sugarcane juice, etc.) leads to early recovery from Acute Viral Hepatitis (short history of jaundice as in your father's case) is actually not true. This sweet diet does not hasten the recovery in jaundice, but may complicate the sugar control in someone like your father who is a diabetic. Nausea is a predominant symptom in hepatitis, and the right diet should include simple, healthy, hygienic home made food which is easily digestible. Overly oily, sugary and fatty foods simply may increase the nausea and are best avoided. But one must take adequate calories and proteins, and include portions of fresh fruits as tolerated. Also, I would suggest that small, frequent meals are better tolerated in patients with jaundice. Bearing these recommendations in mind, I think you can provide your father the diet which should not worsen his sugar control. One word of caution: The course of jaundice may sometimes be prolonged in diabetics, and sugar control often becomes difficult, hence he should have proper evaluation done for jaundice, and take treatment under the supervision of a doctor.