“Diabetes could become the AIDS of the 21st Century”

Quick Facts

Ø  More than 3 million or one in four Australian adults over the age of 25 have either diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (pre-diabetes) ³.

Ø  1,085,800 Australians have diagnosed diabetes (type 1 or 2) ¹. Worldwide an estimated 285 million people have diabetes ¹.

Ø  The national prevalence of diabetes in 20-79 year old people is 7.2% and 9.8% for impaired glucose tolerance respectively ¹.

Hard Facts

• Diabetes is Australia’s fastest growing chronic disease ³
• One person is diagnosed every seven minutes ³ 
• It is estimated that for every person diagnosed with diabetes, another person is unaware they have it ^{3 , 6}
• In 2015, Australian Diabetes Council expects the number of people with diagnosed diabetes to total approximately 4.6 million ⁷

References:

 (1) Diabetes Atlas. IDF, 2006; (3) AusDiab 2005. IDI, 2006; (6) Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2010; (7) NDSS, 2010

If you are 40 – 49 years old and have excess weight around your middle then you might be at risk of developing health problems like Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Most General Practices in NSW offer a free pamphlet – The Australian Type 2 Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool (AUDRISK). This pamphlet asks questions such as;

        ÿ            Your age group? - > 40 years of age increase your risk of developing diabetes.

        ÿ            Your gender? -  Men are at greater risk.

        ÿ            Has either of your parents or siblings been diagnosed? - Increases your risk also.

        ÿ            Have you ever had high blood glucose? Greatly increases your chances of developing the disease.

        ÿ            Is your waist measurement over 110cm (Male) or 100cm (Female)? You’re going to blow up!

Fill in this simple questionnaire and see what score you get.

If your score puts you at High risk and you are male aged 40 – 49, then you are eligible to attend a six month LMP that is facilitated by a nurse, dietitian or exercise physiologist. This program will involve seven education seminars about food and nutrition and how to lose those extra kilos and centimetres. For more information on how to enrol for an LMP speak to your GP or follow the link What is a Lifestyle Modification Program

I am a facilitator for the Yamba and Maclean region (NSW) to combat the growing epidemic of diabetes and really looking forward to engaging those at high risk and maybe save some lives.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes is a condition where there is too much glucose (a type of sugar) in the blood.

Normal blood glucose levels range between 3.5 and 7.8mmol/L. Blood glucose levels are regulated with the help of insulin, a hormone, made in the pancreas. Insulin is the key that glucose needs to enter the body’s cells so that it can be used as fuel or energy.

Type 1 diabetes develops when the pancreas stops producing insulin. It often develops in people under the age of 30 but it can happen at any age.

Type 2 diabetes is due to a combination of the body not responding to insulin and an inability to produce adequate amounts of insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of the condition and usually occurs in people over the age of 30. People with type 2 diabetes are more likely to carry excess weight around the waist and to have high blood pressure. They are also more likely to have raised cholesterol and heart disease.