November 14 marks World Diabetes Day, a day that brings awareness to the disease and gives a voice to people living with diabetes. The theme for 2018 and 2019 is The Family and Diabetes.
Over 425 million people are currently living with diabetes. And, over 1.5 million of these are Australians. Most of these cases are type 2 diabetes, which is largely preventable through regular physical activity, a healthy and balanced diet.
1 in 2 people currently living with diabetes is undiagnosed. All families are potentially affected by diabetes and so awareness of the signs, symptoms and risk factors for all types of diabetes are vital to help detect it early.
Diabetes is a syndrome characterised by disordered metabolism and inappropriately high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) resulting from either low levels of the hormone insulin or from abnormal resistance to insulin’s effects coupled with inadequate levels of insulin secretion to compensate.
There are three main types of diabetes:
- Type 1 diabetes is usually due to autoimmune factors
- Type 2 diabetes is characterised by insulin resistance in target tissues
- Gestational diabetes involves the hormones of pregnancy causing insulin resistance
The characteristic symptoms are excessive urine production (polyuria), excessive thirst and increased fluid intake (polydipsia), and blurred vision.
Recent research reveals some ways to reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes:
PLANT-BASED DIET: Researchers from the Clinical Sciences at Duke-NUS Medical School have found that a plant-based diet can reduce the risk of diabetes, and that a higher intake of red meat and poultry is associated with significantly increased risk of developing diabetes.
FIBRE-RICH: Research presented by the American Heart Association showed that diets high in fibre, such as wholegrains and vegetables, are associated with a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes
AVOID DRINKS HIGH IN SUGAR: Regularly drinking sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks and juice contributes to the development of diabetes, high blood pressure and other endemic health problems, according to a review of epidemiological studies published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society
