November is Diabetes Awareness Month!
Did you know that 1 in 3 Canadians are living with diabetes or prediabetes? So many lives are touched by this chronic disease, yet so few Canadians know they are at risk for developing diabetes.
What is Diabetes?
It’s a chronic disease where the body cannot make enough insulin or cannot use insulin properly. Insulin is a hormone that helps to control blood sugars. A high amount of sugar in the blood can damage organs, blood vessels, and nerves over a long period.
Are you at risk?
Not much is known about definite risk factors for Type 1 Diabetes, but there are quite a few risk factors for developing Type 2 Diabetes. Some we can have some control over, but some we cannot.
Here’s a list of risk factors for developing Type 2 Diabetes:
• Have a parent, brother, or sister living with diabetes.
• Member of a high-risk group (Indigenous, Hispanic, South Asian, Asian, African descent)
• Have given birth to a baby weighing more than 4kg or 9lb
• Have had gestational diabetes (diabetes during pregnancy)
• Prediabetes diagnosis
• Have high blood pressure
• Have high cholesterol or high blood fats
• Have extra weight around the abdomen, overweight
• Have polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis
• Have acanthosis nigricans diagnosis
• Have obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis
• Have diagnosed psychiatric disorders: schizophrenia, depression
Ask your doctor to test if you have diabetes if you are over 40 years old or if you have several risk factors after taking this risk test: https://www.healthycanadians.gc.ca/en/canrisk
Fight the Risk
Here are some healthy habit ideas that can help lower your risk of diabetes:
• Eat a high fibre breakfast every day
• Eat 1 cup of vegetables at each of your meals
• Eat 2-3 servings of fruit each day (1 serving =0.5 cups or tennis ball size piece of fruit)
• Go for a 10-15 minute walk at lunch every day
Your Team
You have a team of Registered Dietitians, an Exercise Specialist, Registered Nurses, Behavioural Health Consultants and Mental Health Therapists that can support your health journey through the Team-Based Care program at the PCN. You can access this team for support by asking for a referral from your family doctor.
