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It’s Diabetes Awareness Month: Do you know your risk?

Eleven million Canadians — that’s one in three — are living with diabetes or prediabetes, a chronic and sometimes debilitating disease that can have serious, life-threatening complications. In diabetes, the body is unable to produce the hormone insulin or unable to use produced insulin properly to control glucose in the blood. As a result, sugar builds up in the blood instead of being used as energy.

Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults, and was previously known as juvenile diabetes. Type 2 diabetes is the most common, making up roughly 90% of all cases. Some people with type 2 can control their blood glucose with healthy eating and by being active. Others may have to be prescribed oral medications or insulin by their doctors to help manage their diabetes.

Who is at risk for type 2 diabetes?
If you are overweight, have high blood pressure, have a family history of diabetes, or are age 45 or older, you are at higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Overweight children are also at a higher risk of developing the disease. (For a complete list of risk factors, see http://www.diabetes.ca/about-diabetes/risk-factors/are-you-at-risk).

To find out your risk for developing type 2 diabetes, complete the Canadian Diabetes Risk Questionnaire (CANRISK) at http://diabetestest.ca, or visit your health care provider to ask about your risk.

Healthy changes can lower your risk for type 2 diabetes
The good news is that making healthy changes can greatly lower your risk and help prevent type 2 diabetes:

• Watch your weight.
• Eat a healthy diet.
• Get more physical activity.
• Quit smoking.
• See your doctor for regular checkups and health screenings.

 

For helpful ideas on how to adopt healthy habits, consult the following articles:

• Healthy Nutrition
• Achieving and Maintaining a Healthy Weight
• Quick Tips for Getting More Exercise
• Setting SMART Goals for Health
• Understanding and Practicing Preventive Health Care
• Tips for Quitting Smoking Tips for Quitting Smoking