WORLD DIABETES DAY

courtesy: IDF

World Diabetes Day was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat that diabetes now poses. World Diabetes Day became an official United Nations Day in 2007 with the passage of United Nation Resolution 61/225.

 While the themed campaigns last the whole year, the day itself is celebrated on November 14, to mark the birthday of Frederick Banting who, along with Charles Best, first conceived the idea which led to the discovery of insulin in 1921.

The World Diabetes Day logo is the blue circle - the global symbol for diabetes which was developed as part of the Unite for Diabetes awareness campaign. 

The logo was adopted in 2007 to mark the passage of the United Nations World Diabetes Day Resolution. The significance of the blue circle symbol is overwhelmingly positive. Across cultures, the circle symbolizes life and health. The colour blue reflects the sky that unites all nations and is the colour of the United Nations flag. The blue circle signifies the unity of the global diabetes community in response to the diabetes pandemic.

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Healthy Living and Diabetes is the World Diabetes Day theme for 2014-2016.

Healthy Living and Diabetes is the World Diabetes Day theme for 2014 - 2016. Activities and materials in 2014 focus on the importance of starting the day with a healthy breakfast to help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes and effectively manage all types of diabetes to avoid complications.

Key messages

1. Investing in a healthy breakfast will reduce the global burden of diabetes, and save billions in lost productivity and healthcare costs.

• The human and economic burden of diabetes is enormous: it affects almost 400 million people, results in over 5 million deaths annually and consumes almost US$ 550 billion in health- related expenditures.

• The majority of the costs related to diabetes are spent on treating complications, which can affect the heart, eyes, kidneys and feet; these complications can be prevented through early diagnosis and proper management of diabetes.

• Delayed diagnosis means that many people already have at least one complication by the time they are diagnosed with diabetes.

• Over 70% of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed by adopting healthier lifestyles, equivalent to up to 150 million cases by 2035.

• Eating a healthy breakfast decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes1.

• A healthy diet containing leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, lean meat, fish and nuts can help reduce a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes and avoid complications in people with diabetes.

• Skipping breakfast is associated with weight gain1, one of the main risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Overweight and obesity account for up to 80% of new cases of type 2 diabetes.

• Reducing the prevalence of type 2 diabetes will result in an increased participation and productivity in the workforce, given that the greatest number of people with diabetes are between 40 and 59 years of age.

• In the UK alone, diabetes accounted for an estimated ¤ 9 billion in reduced productivity.

• Diabetes accounts for 10-15% of the total healthcare budgets in high income countries. 1 in 9 healthcare US$ is spent on diabetes.

Up to 11% of total healthcare expenditure in every country across the globe could be saved by tackling the preventable risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

2. Ensuring access to an affordable and healthy breakfast is essential to reducing the global burden of diabetes.

• Eating a healthy breakfast decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

• The wide availability of cheap energy dense low-nutrient food is contributing to the global epidemic of type 2 diabetes.

• Foods which reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes such as vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains and unsaturated fats need to be more affordable and more widely available.

• A healthy diet is, on average, US$ 1.50 a day more expensive than an unhealthy one, increasing food costs for one person by about US$ 550 a year.

• A healthy diet containing leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, lean meat, fish and nuts can help reduce a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes and avoid complications in people with diabetes.

• Diabetes is a huge and growing burden: while 382 million people were living with diabetes

in 2013 that number is expected to balloon to almost 600 million people by 2035.

• Global health spending to treat diabetes and manage complications totalled almost US$ 550 billion in 2013.

• Up to 11% of total healthcare expenditure in every country across the globe could be saved by tackling the preventable risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

• Over 70% of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed by adopting healthier lifestyles, equivalent to up to 150 million cases by 2035.

Healthy eating and diabetes

Individuals can reduce their risk of type 2 diabetes by:

• Choosing water or unsweetened coffee or tea instead of fruit juice, soda, and other sugar sweetened beverages.

• Eating at least three servings of vegetables every day, including green leafy vegetables such as spinach, lettuce or kale.

• Eating up to three servings of fresh fruit every day. • Choosing nuts, a piece of fresh fruit or sugar-free yoghurt for a snack.

• Limiting your alcohol intake to a maximum of two standard drinks per day.

• Choosing lean cuts of white meat, poultry and seafood instead of processed meat or red meat.

• Choosing peanut butter instead of chocolate spread or jam to spread on bread.

• Choosing whole-grain bread instead of white bread, brown rice instead of white rice, whole grain pasta instead of refined pasta.

• Choosing unsaturated fats (olive oil, canola oil, corn oil, or sunflower oil) instead of saturated fats (butter, ghee, animal fat, coconut oil or palm oil).

These recommendations will also help people with diabetes to achieve stable control.

Why is a healthy breakfast important?

• Eating a healthy breakfast decreases the risk of appetite and blood glucose concentrations in developing type 2 diabetes1

both adults and children1

• Skipping breakfast is associated with weight gain

Healthy breakfast options:
Unsweetened tea, coffee or water	Vegetables
Wholegrain bread, rice or other products	Low fat milk
Peanut butter	Nuts and seeds
Eggs (boiled, scrambled or poached)	Grilled chicken/turkey
Unsweetened yoghurt, (eg, with nuts , seeds, fresh fruit)	Fish
1 piece fresh fruit (eg, apple, pear, orange, peach)	Cheese (small portion)
Low sugar, high fibre cereal	Ham, cold cuts (small portion)

Unhealthy breakfast options:
Fruit juice, fruit smoothies	Sugar-sweetened yoghurt
White bread, pastries, croissants	Most breakfast cereals
Jam, honey, chocolate spread	Fried food
Sugar sweetened beverages	Flavoured milk