Useful tips on diabetes

Just as in most other countries, Australia is also facing the problem of diabetes. One Australian is diagnosed with diabetes every five minutes, according to latest statistics. It has been estimated that there are 1.7 million Australians who are living with diabetes. Thirty years ago, the number stood at 250,000, statistics show. More than 100,000 Australians have developed diabetes in the past year.

‘Are you on the road to diabetes?’ was the title of a feature in the supplement on Health in the last issue of ‘The Sunday Times’. I was really fascinated by the colourful wording ‘diabetes’ in the headline. It was a neat and arty illustration using candies.

The article was an interview with the CEO of the Australian Diabetes Society, a national organisation set up to enhance the welfare of individuals with diabetes  through improving knowledge and understanding, training health professionals, and supporting diabetes research.

The CEO refers to type 1 and type 2 diabetes as diseases of the pancreas, in which the pancreas is unable to secrete enough insulin to regulate the glucose levels in our blood. With type 1, the immune system actually kills the cells that produce insulin so there is a complete deficiency. With type 2, the insulin-producing cells don’t work efficiently so there is a relative deficiency, he explains. 

He goes on to explain ‘Risk Signs’. One is ‘Expanding waistline’. Pointing out that waist circumference is strongly linked to diabetes, he wants the waistline of men not to exceed 102cm and that of women 88cm. 

“Measuring your waist is easy. Just grab a measuring tape and wrap it around your belly. If it measures more than it should, it’s a good idea to see someone about managing your weight, because as well as diabetes, you could be at risk of developing heart disease,” he advises.

He then touches on ‘Bad diet’. He advises to cut down on sugary drinks and the amount of sugar used in tea or coffee. Over six months, the benefits are huge, he insists. Those suffering type 2 diabetes should say goodbye to the burgers, the pizza and soft drinks. Meanwhile, eat enough fruit, vegetables, nuts, wholegrains and fish, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Commenting on ‘Sedentary lifestyle’, he says: You don’t have to run a marathon or lift 100kg at the gym every day but you do need to move regularly. Walking for 30 minutes every day is a cheap and easy way to give your body what it needs and minimise the risk.

‘Family history’ is also another factor to be considered. “If you have a family history of diabetes, be vigilant about being active, ensure your weight is in a healthy range, don’t smoke and don’t drink excessively.”

In trouble

Identifying the ‘Signs you’re in trouble’, the CEO says:

• Frequent toilet visits: Going to the toilet more than twice a night is a reasonably good indicator of type 2 diabetes. Once your glucose levels reach a certain concentration in your blood, your kidneys start excreting the glucose in your urine so you will need to go more often.
• Excessive thirst: If you’re going to the toilet a lot, you’re losing a significant amount of water in your urine, which leads to excessive thirst. But that doesn’t have to be the case. Too much glucose in the bloods can also flick the thirst switch in the brain so you’ll continuously feel as if you need to be glugging down glasses of water.
• Sensitive skin: When glucose levels are too high, our infection-fighting white blood cells don’t work properly so skin irritations can be slow to heal. You might notice a rash that’s hard to get rid of or a wound that takes an unusually long time to heal. This shows your immune system is weak, which could mean your diabetes risk is elevated.
• Blurred vision and numbness: This stage means you have out-of-control diabetes. Get to your doctor quick-smart.