“Diabetes Won’t Stop Me”
– This is the catch cry for this year’s
National Diabetes Week
July 10-16, 2016.
Diabetes Victoria is calling on all Victorians to learn more about diabetes. It is crucial to diagnose and manage diabetes well, to avoid long term health complications including heart disease, stroke, blindness and kidney failure.
The good news is the risk of developing those complications are minimised if people with diabetes have the necessary tools and information to manage their condition.
Statistics from Diabetes Victoria report that:
- 280 Australians develop diabetes every day and around 1.7 million Australians have diabetes.
- In Victoria, there are currently 300,000 people living with diabetes and every day, around 70 Victorians develop the condition.
Type 2 diabetes can be prevented
- Two million Australians have pre-diabetes and are at high-risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Pre-diabetes is when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough for type 2 diabetes to be diagnosed.
- As pre-diabetes has no specific symptoms, many people do not know they are at high risk.
- Approximately one in three people with pre-diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes within 5-10 years, but this risk can be reduced with healthy eating and physical activity.
Gestational diabetes is becoming more common
- Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy and usually goes away after the baby is born.
- 5-8% of pregnant women will develop gestational diabetes between the 24th to 28th week of pregnancy.
- Women who have had gestational diabetes have an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life with a 30-50% chance of developing it within 15 years of the pregnancy.
You can live a long and healthy life with diabetes?
- All types of diabetes are serious and, if not managed well, can lead to health complications like heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, loss of vision and loss of limbs.
- Managing diabetes well can significantly reduce the risk of these life-threatening complications.
Latrobe Health Centre’s resident Dietitian and Nutritionist – Rachel Jeffery, can review your diet and support you to make positive dietary and lifestyle changes, to reduce your risk of developing diabetes or minimising the complications if you already have a diabetes diagnosis.
Visit http://www.diabeteswontstopme.org.au/ to learn more about diabetes and Diabetes Victoria’s programs and services.
If you would like a nutrition review regarding your diabetes, minimising your risk, or any other nutrition related concerns, you can book an appointment with Rachel Jeffery – Dietitian / Nutritionist / APD on 52226868 or try our on-line booking system: http://latrobehealthcentre.com.au/online-bookings/
