World Diabetes Day 2014

Today 14th of November 2014 marks another World Diabetes Day.
World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now pose. It became an official United Nations Day in 2007 with the passage of United Nations Resolution 61/225.
World Diabetes Day campaign is led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and its members. It engages millions of people worldwide in diabetes advocacy and awareness. The campaign draws issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public spotlight.

 The body needs the hormone insulin to use glucose as fuel for cells and to control the amount of glucose in the blood. Diabetes develops when the pancreas cannot produce insulin normally or when the body cannot use the produced insulin effectively.This results in high levels of glucose in the blood if the condition is not controlled. People with diabetes can lead a full and active life.  But if uncontrolled, it can cause a number of serious problems over time such as blindness, kidney failure, foot ulceration and nerve damage. Also, people with diabetes are at greater risk of developing heart disease than healthy people. So it is very important for those diagnosed with this condition to control their blood sugar levels and their blood pressure, to eat a healthy diet, be physically active and to lose weight if necessary.
There are two types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes

This is the insulin dependent diabetes and it usually occurs in people below the age of 30. The cells in the pancreas that produce insulin have been destroyed in people suffering from this, so people with type 1 diabetes need to help their body to use glucose properly by using insulin injections. Nobody fully understands why these cells become damaged, but it may be triggered by a viral or other infection. Type 1 diabetes is managed by insulin injection coupled with a healthy diet.

Type 2 diabetes

If you have type 2 diabetes, then your body either cannot produce enough insulin, or the insulin your body produces does not work properly. Type 2 diabetes tends to be diagnosed in older people, although increasingly, the symptoms are being seen in younger adults and even children. Type two diabetes is caused by obesity (most common cause); hereditary; a diet high in energy, fat (especially saturates) and low in fibre (this diet is harmful because it can cause weight gain and also impairs insulin action); deprivation (people in lower socioeconomic groups: linked with obesity, physical inactivity and a less healthy diet) and high waist circumference (the cut-off waist measurement for increased risk is: 80cm for all women, 94cm for black and white men and 90 cm for Asian men). Type 2 diabetes is strongly linked with obesity and can generally be treated by diet modification and physical activities, although some people do require medication too. 

Prevalence
Around 2.5 million people in the UK suffers from diabetes and this is rapidly increasing. This increase is thought to be linked with obesity epidemic (more than half of adults in the UK are overweight, and about one in four are obese), because obesity is a known risk factor for type 2 diabetes.At least 8 out of 10 diabetics have type 2 diabetes. It is also estimated that up to 750,000 people may have diabetes without knowing it.

Symptoms of diabetes

The main symptoms of untreated diabetes are:

• Increased thirst, and increased drinking of fluids
• Need to pass urine much more often, especially at night
• Weight loss
• Tiredness
• Slow healing of wounds
• Blurred vision
• Itching of the genital organs or repeated bouts of thrush.

In type 1 diabetes, symptoms will usually develop rapidly over a few weeks, often during childhood. There is currently no cure and treatment with insulin is lifelong.

In type 2 diabetes, symptoms develop more slowly, typically over a period of months. Some people have very mild symptoms, which they believe may have other causes so their condition may go unnoticed. A few people show no symptoms at all. It is often preventable and reversible in the early stages if excess weight is lost and a healthy lifestyle maintained.

In the two types of diabetes, added sugar should be avoided, 5-a- day should be eaten (check post on fruit and vegetables for more info), regular meals with plenty of fruits and vegetables containing starchy carbohydrates particularly whole grain and less fat should be eaten to avoid erratic blood glucose- levels, overweight should be avoided. 

Recommendations for diabetes prevention

•  Maintain a healthy body weight (BMI 20-25kg/m²) 
•  Keep physically active 
•  Eat a healthy, varied diet.
•  Base meals on starchy foods, like potatoes, rice, pasta, bread and breakfast cereals. 
• Choose high fibre, wholemeal products.
• Eat more fruits and vegetables, aim for at least 5 portions a day.
• Eat fewer fatty and sugar-containing foods, e.g. fried foods, sweets or pastries.
• Choose lean meat, poultry, fish, beans and alternatives, instead of fatty meat or meat products.
•  Choose low-fat dairy foods, like skimmed or semi-skimmed milk or low-fat yogurt.
• Use vegetable oil in cooking but only in small amounts.
• Choose products lower in salt and use less salt in cooking.

More information on:

http://www.nutrition.org.uk/nutritionscience/disease/diabetes

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Diabetes/Pages/Diabetes.aspx

http://www.idf.org/about-diabetes 

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