Healthy lifestyle reduces diabetes risk

Take a Step towards Good Health.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month and with Type two Diabetes posing a serious health threat globally, now is the time to have yourself and your family members checked.

Ms Natalie Brunninger, the spokesperson for Diabion, outlines the risk factors, symptoms and the importance of getting tested.

Type two Diabetes is a silent killer and we underestimate the amount of people who actually die from the disease.

Type two Diabetes is, for the most part, a lifestyle disease and it’s the first time in known history that a non-infectious disease has posed a serious global health threat.

Today, globally, there are 382 million people living with diabetes and the majority of them are aged between 40 and 59. The disease is on the increase, especially in children and adolescents, and it is up to each of us as individuals and as families to make sure we stay healthy, eat well and check our diabetes status annually.

Type two diabetes is considered a lifestyle disease and is for the greater part due to an unhealthy lifestyle. The good news is that Type two Diabetes is a preventable disease. In fact, a large bank of evidence supports the benefits of lifestyle interventions – healthy diet and physical exercise to prevent the onset and development of diabetes. With this in mind, it is important to take ownership of your health and you family’s health.

What is Type two Diabetes?

Type two diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. All types of diabetes are on the increase. Type two in particular will increase by 55 percent by 2035.

Type two Diabetes is a condition characterised by high blood glucose levels caused by either a lack of insulin or the body’s inability to use insulin effectively. It develops most often in adults but is increasingly seen in children and adolescents.

In Type two Diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin works in allowing the body to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose. The food you eat gets digested and broken down into a sugar your body’s cells can use. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause two problems: Right away, your cells may be starved for energy. Over time, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves and/or heart.

Risk Factors

If you are suffering from any of the below, have your blood glucose levels checked and consult your doctor. Obesity, poor diet, physical inactivity or a family history of diabetes can increase your risk.

If you are showing signs of any of the above factors, or are concerned that you may have Type two Diabetes, visit a pharmacy that has a clinic and ask them to check lipid levels (cholesterol), blood pressure and blood glucose levels.

If the levels show that you may have diabetes, make an appointment with your doctor as soon as you can. People with diabetes are at risk of developing a number of disabling and life threatening health conditions, including serious diseases affecting the heart and blood vessels, eyes, kidneys and nerves.

There is also the increased risk of developing infections, so ensuring that you know your diabetes status is of utmost importance. To prevent the onset of Type two Diabetes, take a step towards living a healthier lifestyle. If you are carrying extra weight, start a diet and exercise regime that will help you drop the kilogrammes and keep them off, stop smoking and drink alcohol in moderation.

For people with Type two Diabetes

For people who have the condition, it is important to take a holistic approach in managing the disease. Exercise regularly, eat properly and ensure that you have the correct support in terms of supplementation. Type two Diabetes is a progressive disease, but if you eat healthily, take supplementation, keep fit and take your medication as prescribed, it will help you live a long, healthy life.

Diabetes Fast Facts and Figures

The number of people with diabetes in Africa is projected to increase substantially in the next two decades, due to factors including rapid urbanisation, adoption of unhealthy diets and exercise patterns and the ageing of the population.

According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), there are 382 million people worldwide living with diabetes, and of those, 20 million are in southern Africa. According to IDF, there are 2,6 million people with diabetes in South Africa. Diabetes is on the increase and it is predicted that by 2035, 592 million people will be living with diabetes, unless concerted efforts are made to prevent diabetes.

By the end of 2013, diabetes cost $548-billion in healthcare spending.

In Africa, 76 percent of deaths due to diabetes were in people under the age of 60. Every six seconds a person dies from diabetes. More than 21 million live births were affected by diabetes during pregnancy in 2013.