LET´S CELEBRATE! BUT NO CAKE, PLEASE
November 14th is World Diabetes Day, which was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (www.idf.org) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in order to increase awareness of the growing prevalence of diabetes in the world.
This year´s theme is “Women and diabetes – our right to a healthy future.” Sadly, 1 in 10 women have diabetes, and many do not have the means for proper treatment. Even more worrisome is the data regarding pregnant women, where 1 in 7 develop gestational diabetes, which can have permanent consequences both on the mother and the future child. Around half of those diagnosed with gestational diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes in the following 5-10 years after giving birth.
Furthermore, diabetes increases the risk for other health conditions. For example, women with type 2 diabetes are almost 10 times more likely to develop heart disease. In fact, diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women, accounting for over 2 million deaths per year worldwide.
Fortunately, in the majority of cases, diabetes can be prevented through proper education and by adopting healthier lifestyles. In this sense, it is necessary for healthcare and education systems to provide information on the possible risks for developing diabetes and how to prevent this condition. Special attention should be given to those living in low-income countries, where access to this information and proper care can be very limited.
So hopefully, in the future, we may celebrate this day as how the World won its fight against diabetes. But until that day comes, we must continue working on providing information regarding diabetes, and how to prevent its development.
Jonathan Jones, PhD
Related articles
https://www.monteloeder.com/blog/2018/09/manuscript-metabolaid-combination-of-lemon-verbena-and-hibiscus-flower-extract/
https://www.monteloeder.com/blog/2018/08/the-importance-of-incentives-in-weight-loss-and-exercise/
