• What is Diabetes?
• How can Diabetes be prevented?
• How to reduce your risk of Diabetes?

The rise in Type 2 Diabetes is significant - more people die from diabetes and its complications than from breast and prostate cancer combined. In fact, people with unmanaged Diabetes could die up to 15 years younger.

A lot of us have heard the term Diabetes, but what is it exactly?

Diabetes occurs when the body fails to process blood sugar or glucose properly. Our bodies normally convert glucose (sugar) from food into energy using a hormone called insulin which is essential in the conversion of glucose into energy. For people with Diabetes, insulin is no longer produced or not produced in adequate amounts by the body.  What this results in is that for people with Diabetes, when they consume products containing glucose such as breads, cereals, fruit and starchy vegetables, legumes, milk, yoghurt and sweets, it can’t be converted into energy.  Instead of being turned into energy the glucose stays in the blood causing the blood glucose levels to be elevated. There are several types of diabetes including Type 1, Type 2, gestational and Pre-Diabetes.

Symptoms of diabetes include tiredness, lethargy, increased thirst and urination as well as blurred vision. Often these symptoms are not treated seriously or are excused as a consequence of our normal daily living, getting older etc.  The complications of diabetes are very real if not managed correctly.  These symptoms include nerve damage, limb amputation, cardiac problems, blindness and kidney failure.

But did you know that Type 2 Diabetes can be easily prevented?

Just like seat belts in cars and helmets for cyclists, with healthy eating, regular exercise and maintaining a healthy weight will largely prevent Type 2 Diabetes. So why do we not take the same precautions to reduce the risk of developing Diabetes?

In particular, the following people are in the high risk categories for developing Diabetes:

• Have a family history Type 2 Diabetes
• Developed diabetes during pregnancy
• Are more than 40 years of age
• Are of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent
• Don't get enough exercise
• Have high blood pressure
• Are overweight, measured as body mass index > 25 (weight/height²)
• Have a waist measurement above 94cm for men or 80cm for women
• Have a poor diet, containing too much fatty and sugary food
• If you answered yes to any of the questions above, it is never too late to do something to reduce your risk of developing Diabetes
  

So what can you do to reduce your risk of Diabetes? Here are some general tips:

• Reduce the amount of energy (particularly fat and sugar) in your diet
• Eat healthy foods, like fresh fruit and vegetables daily
• Exercise for 30 minutes a day, a total of 150 minutes a week
• If you are overweight, lose weight to a safe level (based on BMI)