World Diabetes Day

1 in 10 adults are living with diabetes and almost half are undiagnosed. This number is shocking and is one of the reasons why we want to stop and give the right amount of attention to this cause. Today, November 14^-th is World Diabetes Day and we want to shine light on this life-threatening chronic disease, in response to the growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by diabetes. 

Diabetes occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces. Why should this be a concern? Because it leads to high glucose levels in the blood (hyperglycemia). Long-term high glucose levels are associated with damage to the body and failure of various organs and tissues. 

Let’s go through the ABC of Diabetes. There are three main types of diabetes: 

• Type 1 diabetes can develop at any age, although it is more frequent in children and adolescents. When you have type 1 diabetes, your body produces very little to no insulin, which means that you need daily insulin injections to maintain blood glucose levels under control. The sooner it is diagnosed, the better the life quality of the patient becomes. 
• Type 2 diabetes accounts for 90% of all diabetes cases and is more common in adults. In this type of diabetes your body does not make good use of the insulin that it produces. The treatment for this type of diabetes is a healthy lifestyle, including increased physical activity and a healthy diet. Unfortunately, over time most people with type 2 diabetes will require oral drugs and/or insulin to keep their blood glucose levels under control.  
• Gestational diabetes is also known as the “Pregnancy Diabetes”. It’s a type of diabetes that consists of high blood glucose during pregnancy and is associated with complications to both mother and child. Thankfully it usually disappears after pregnancy, but women affected, and their children are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. 

Now let’s talk numbers! In 2021, 10% of the adult population from 20 to 79 years are living with diabetes. Almost 1 in 2 adults living with diabetes are undiagnosed. With these rates, the total number of people living with diabetes is projected to rise to 643 million by 2030 and 783 million by 2045. This is certainly not good! But is it avoidable? Unfortunately, healthy food is not always the most affordable and numbers back up this claim. 3 in 4 adults with diabetes live in low- and middle-income countries. As healthcare providers we should be very careful to give the right guidance for our patients, because only during 2021 diabetes caused 6.7 million deaths. 

The 2 main risk factors include consumption of unhealthy foods and a sedentary behavior. With the modification of this lifestyle including physical activity and a healthy diet we can manage to delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. So let us give you some practical suggestions to better your health! 

1. Choosing water, coffee or tea instead of fruit juice, soda, or other sugar sweetened beverages; 
2. Eating at least three servings of vegetable every day, including green leafy vegetables; 
3. Eating up to three servings of fresh fruit every day; 
4. Choosing nuts, a piece of fresh fruit, or unsweetened yoghurt for a snack; 
5. Limiting alcohol intake; 
6. Choosing lean cuts of white meat, poultry, or seafood instead of red or processed meat; 
7. Choosing whole-grain bread, rice, or pasta instead of white bread, rice, or pasta. 
8. Choosing unsaturated fats (olive oil, corn oil, or sunflower oil) instead of saturated fats (butter, coconut oil or palm oil).