World Diabetes Day

14 November is World Diabetes Day (WDD). It was created in 1991 by International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the global health threat of diabetes. It is marked on 14 November each year as this was the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922.

Diabetes, Hyperglycaemia, is a disorder characterised by prolonged high blood sugar levels. And it’s more common than you might think – 1 in 14 people in the UK have some form of diabetes. It is caused by either the pancreas not producing enough insulin, or the body not responding properly to insulin. Insulin is the hormone which is responsible for regulating glucose and helping the body extract sugar from food and getting it into cells to be used for energy. 

There are two main types of diabetes:

• Type 1 diabetes results from the pancreas not producing enough insulin. This is caused by an autoimmune response that attacks the cells that produce insulin. Why this happens is not clear. Symptoms typically appear in childhood or adolescence, although it can develop in later life.  It is not lifestyle and diet related.

• Type 2 diabetes starts with insulin resistance, a condition in which the body doesn’t respond properly to insulin.  As it progresses, a lack of enough insulin can also develop.  It is more common in older adults. However, there has been a significant increase in obesity among children and this has led to more cases in younger people. The most common cause is a combination of being overweight and a lack of exercise.

WDD is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign and draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and aims to keep diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight. At the moment the campaign is in the middle of a three year period that is focusing on improving access to diabetes care. Millions of people around the world with diabetes lack access to effective care. It’s important that people with diabetes get ongoing care and support to manage their condition and avoid deterioration and complications.

I wrote very recently about awareness of sugar in our diets and in processed foods. Being aware of this and diabetes will help you avoid potentially serious health problems in later life.  As Tom Hanks (American Actor) said, “I have high blood sugars, and Type 2 diabetes is not going to kill me. But I just have to eat right, and exercise, and lose weight, and watch what I eat, and I will be fine for the rest of my life”.