World Diabetes Day is celebrated on November 14 annually to raise awareness about the disease. This year’s theme is “Diabetes and Well-being,” citing that those with the illness can still live full, meaningful lives. The disease affects an individual and their community’s financial, social, and physical lives, making awareness important in preventing, managing and curbing the illness.
Understanding Diabetes
Diabetes results when your blood sugar levels are high, your pancreas isn’t producing enough insulin, and your body isn’t responding well to the effects of insulin. Diabetes is a lifelong illness that is managed through medical care.
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Types of Diabetes
Diabetes affects about 37.3 million Americans, with type 2 diabetes being the most common. Globally, over 500 million people suffer from this illness. The following are common types of diabetes.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It causes the body not to make enough insulin, so it does not respond well to insulin. It mainly affects adults.
Type 1 diabetes is common among children and young adults, but it can develop at any age. It results from the immune system killing insulin-producing cells in the body.
Prediabetes is when your blood glucose levels are high but not high enough to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. Afterwards, it disappears, but women who develop gestational diabetes are likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.
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Causes and Risks of Diabetes
The following are the causes and risk factors of diabetes:
Insulin Resistance
Type 2 diabetes is triggered when insulin doesn’t respond as it should. Some factors that lead to this include diet, hormonal imbalance, obesity and lack of physical activity.
Family History
If you’re predisposed to diabetes because of your family history, an inherited gene mutation might lead to type 2 diabetes. Additionally, your lifestyle choices, such as food, and lack of exercise, can increase your likelihood of getting diabetes.
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Pancreas Damage
Damage to your pancreas from surgery, illness or other causes can cause diabetes because it affects insulin production.
Diabetes Prevention
How can you minimise your chances of getting diabetes?
Go For Drinks Without Added Sugars
Sugar is the main trigger for type 2 diabetes. Therefore, cutting down on sugar lowers your risk of getting diabetes. If you find it difficult to withdraw from fizzy drinks, taking drinks with lower calories is a good start. Also, go for milk, tea and coffee that aren’t sweetened.
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Choose Higher Fibre Carbs
White bread, rice, breakfast cereal and refined wheat are common in our meals but aren’t good for our health. To lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, brown rice, pasta, wholegrain bread, and oats should be prioritised. Additionally, you can add fruits and vegetables to your meals.
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Reduce Your Intake of Red and Processed Meat
Many people enjoy bacon, beef, sausages and pork, but these processed meats increase your risk of getting type 2 diabetes. To avoid that, replace them with healthier proteins, including beans, eggs, chicken, unsalted nuts and fish.
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Add Fruits and Vegetables To Your Diet
Apples, grapes, berries, and green, leafy vegetables are linked to reducing type 2 diabetes. Other fruits are healthy, but they are also associated with lowering diabetes risk. Priorities these as snacks and add them to other meals.
Go Slow on Alcohol
When people consume alcohol, they also eat unhealthy food, such as barbeque, burgers, and french fries, all of which carry a lot of saturated fat and salt. This combination leads to weight gain and can exacerbate your risk of getting diabetes.
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How to Raise Diabetes Awareness
If you want to participate in spreading diabetes, these are some of the things you can do:
Share on Social Media
You can use your social media platform to spread awareness about World Diabetes Day. Post about the events you’re attending, and update your followers about things you’re learning. Additionally, you can make awareness designs and post on your pages to raise awareness.
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Participate in Diabetes Fundraiser
Financially contributing to diabetes awareness month is a significant way of creating impact. Helping those with the illness get treated, or building facilities that care for the patients is a positive step toward helping them live longer.
Get Educated
Learn more about the causes of diabetes, diabetes prevention measures, how to create a diet that helps you to lower diabetes risk and more.
Show Your Support
Showing support during Diabetes Awareness Month is as simple as wearing a blue shirt. You can join a course that does this or give out t-shirts you’ve made. If you work in corporate, you can allow your staff members to wear blue.
Conclusion
During World Diabetes Day, you should learn about diabetes, its types, causes, and risk factors, as well as how to help spread awareness of this important day. By addressing these issues, the world is one step closer to finding solutions to diabetes.
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