Add a listing
Add a listing

Did you know?

Facts about Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes, usually diagnosed in children and adolescents, occurs when the pancreas is unable to produce insulin. Insulin is a hormone that controls the amount of sugar in the blood. Approximately 10 per cent of people with diabetes have type 1 diabetes. The remaining 90 per cent have type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the pancreas does not produce enough insulin or when the body does not effectively use the insulin that is produced.

Type 2 diabetes usually develops in adulthood, although increasing numbers of children in high-risk populations are being diagnosed.

A third type of diabetes, gestational diabetes, is a temporary condition that occurs during pregnancy. It affects approximately 2 to 4 per cent of all pregnancies (higher in the indigenous population) and involves an increased risk of developing diabetes for both mother and child.

Is diabetes serious? If left untreated or improperly managed, diabetes can result in a variety of complications, including:

• Heart disease

• Kidney disease

• Eye disease

  • Problems with erection (impotence)

• Nerve damage

The first step in preventing or delaying the onset of these complications is recognizing the risk factors, as well as signs and symptoms of diabetes. What are the risk factors for diabetes? If you are aged 40 or older or you are an individual at high risk on a risk calculator*, you are at risk for type 2 diabetes and should be tested at least every three years. If any of the following risk factors apply, you should be tested earlier and/or more often……

Being:

• a member of a high-risk group (African, Arab, Asian, Hispanic, Indigenous or South Asian descent, low socioeconomic status)

• overweight (especially if you carry most of your weight around your middle) Having:

• a parent, brother or sister with diabetes

• health complications that are associated with diabetes

• given birth to a baby that weighed more than 4 kg (9 lb)

• had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)

• prediabetes (impaired glucose tolerance or impaired fasting glucose)

• high blood pressure

• high cholesterol or other fats in the blood

• been diagnosed with any of the following conditions: – polycystic ovary syndrome – acanthosis nigricans (darkened patches of skin) – psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder – obstructive sleep apnea – you use glucocorticoid medication.

What are the signs and symptoms of diabetes? Signs and symptoms of diabetes include the following:

• Unusual thirst

• Frequent urination

• Weight change (gain or loss)

• Extreme fatigue or lack of energy

• Blurred vision

• Frequent or recurring infections

• Cuts and bruises that are slow to heal

• Tingling or numbness in the hands or feet

• Trouble getting or maintaining an erection

It is important to recognize, however, that many people who have type 2 diabetes may display no symptoms.

Can you prevent diabetes?

Research shows that lifestyle changes can help prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. A healthy meal plan, weight control and physical activity are important prevention steps.

How is diabetes treated?

People with diabetes can expect to live active, independent and vital lives if they make a lifelong commitment to careful diabetes management, which includes the following:

Education: Diabetes education is an important first step. All people with diabetes need to be informed about their condition.

Physical Activity: Regular physical activity helps your body lower blood sugar levels, promotes weight loss, reduces stress and enhances overall fitness.

Nutrition: What, when and how much you eat all play an important role in regulating blood sugar levels.

Weight Management: Maintaining a healthy weight is especially important in the management of type 2 diabetes.

Medication: Type 1 diabetes is always treated with insulin. Type 2 diabetes is managed through physical activity and meal planning and may require medications and/or insulin to assist your body in controlling blood sugar more effectively.

Lifestyle Management: Learning to reduce stress levels in day-to-day life can help people with diabetes better manage their condition.

Blood Pressure: High blood pressure can lead to eye disease, heart disease, stroke and kidney disease, so people with diabetes should try to maintain a blood pressure level below 130/80. To do this, you may need to change your eating and physical activity habits and/or take medication. Source: Diabetes Canada (Posted November 3, 2024)

___________________________________

A healthy diet is essential for good health and nutrition.

It protects you against many chronic noncommunicable diseases, such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer. Eating a variety of foods and consuming less salt, sugars and saturated and industrially-produced trans-fats, are essential for healthy diet.

A healthy diet comprises a combination of different foods. These include:

  • Staples like cereals (wheat, barley, rye, maize or rice) or starchy tubers or roots (potato, yam, taro or cassava).
  • Legumes (lentils and beans).
  • Fruit and vegetables.
  • Foods from animal sources (meat, fish, eggs and milk).

Here is some useful information, based on WHO recommendations, to follow a healthy diet, and the benefits of doing so.

  • Breastfeed babies and young children:
    • A healthy diet starts early in life – breastfeeding fosters healthy growth, and may have longer-term health benefits, like reducing the risk of becoming overweight or obese and developing noncommunicable diseases later in life.
    • Feeding babies exclusively with breast milk from birth to 6 months of life is important for a healthy diet. It is also important to introduce a variety of safe and nutritious complementary foods at 6 months of age, while continuing to breastfeed until your child is two years old and beyond.
  • Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit:
    • They are important sources of vitamins, minerals, dietary fibre, plant protein and antioxidants.
    • People with diets rich in vegetables and fruit have a significantly lower risk of obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes and certain types of cancer.
  • Eat less fat:
    • Fats and oils and concentrated sources of energy. Eating too much, particularly the wrong kinds of fat, like saturated and industrially-produced trans-fat, can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
    • Using unsaturated vegetable oils (olive, soy, sunflower or corn oil) rather than animal fats or oils high in saturated fats (butter, ghee, lard, coconut and palm oil) will help consume healthier fats.
    • To avoid unhealthy weight gain, consumption of total fat should not exceed 30% of a person’s overall energy intake.
  • Limit intake of sugars:
    • For a healthy diet, sugars should represent less than 10% of your total energy intake. Reducing even further to under 5% has additional health benefits.
    • Choosing fresh fruits instead of sweet snacks such as cookies, cakes and chocolate helps reduce consumption of sugars.
    • Limiting intake of soft drinks, soda and other drinks high in sugars (fruit juices, cordials and syrups, flavoured milks and yogurt drinks) also helps reduce intake of sugars.
  • Reduce salt intake:
    • Keeping your salt intake to less than 5g per day helps prevent hypertension and reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke in the adult population.
    • Limiting the amount of salt and high-sodium condiments (soy sauce and fish sauce) when cooking and preparing foods helps reduce salt intake.
  • https://www.who.int/initiatives/behealthy/healthy-diet (Posted: October 21, 2024).

___________________________________________

Taking deep breaths can improve overall health and circulation.

Breathing in and out deeply at times throughout the day has many surprising health benefits. The practice of deep breathing helps to relieve anxiety and pain in addition to improving immunity, lowering blood pressure, improving digestion, and increasing energy.