Focus On Beating Diabetes

Did you know over half of Type 2 diabetes cases can be delayed or prevented by leading a healthier lifestyle?

- Ali Horsfall

More people than ever have diabetes in the UK – a whopping 4.7 million to be exact. And worryingly, around 1 million of these people have Type 2 diabetes but have not yet been diagnosed. So it’s time to get clued up on the leading factors that can cause this condition, because by doing so you could prevent serious health complications from developing in the future. We reveal the simple steps you can take to dramatically reduce your diabetes risk.

Understanding diabetes

‘Diabetes is a condition in which someone has too much glucose – a type of sugar – in their blood,’ says Natasha Marsland, senior clinical advisor at Diabetes UK. Usually blood sugar levels are controlled by insulin produced in the pancreas. When someone has diabetes, they’re either not producing insulin, or the insulin produced isn’t working properly. This leads to a build-up of sugar in the blood.

Type 1 and Type 2: What’s the difference?

About 8% of people with diabetes have Type 1, an autoimmune disease where your body attacks and destroys insulin-producing cells. ‘Your pancreas shuts down completely and you don’t produce any insulin, causing the glucose to quickly rise in your blood,’ explains Natasha. Symptoms of feeling thirsty and tired, needing to urinate more often, unexplained weight loss and blurred vision are often more intense and sudden. Unlike Type 2, lifestyle doesn’t cause Type 1 diabetes – the reasons are not yet known.