The World Diabetes Day is observed on the 14th of November every year

Diabetes is no joke, it’s the leading cause of heart diseases, kidney failure, blindness, amputations and premature death. The worst part about it though is that the risk of contracting diabetes can be reduced by taking simple actions. Did you know that over 50% of type 2 diabetes is preventable?

The World Diabetes Day observed on the 14th of November every year was brought into practice in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and World Health Organization. This was done to address the growing number of concerns regarding diabetes as a potential threat to health. It was officially listed as a UN day in the year 2006. It is observed every year on the 14th of November which is also the birthday of Sir Fredrick Banting, the co-discoverer of Insulin. World Diabetes Day has gradually become a global awareness campaign with a staggering audience of over a billion people in 160 different countries. It draws some much-needed attention to important issues of the diabetes world and tries to constantly keep diabetes in the spotlight, publicly and politically. After the passing of the UN resolution on Diabetes, a blue circle was adopted as the campaign logo and it has become a global symbol for diabetes awareness since then.

This World Diabetes Day let’s pledge to be vigilant against this disease for our loved ones and ourselves.

The first step that you need to take in order to prevent this disease is conducting a risk assessment on yourself. To help you do that, here is the link to a risk assessment tool created by the IDF which will help predict the risk of an individual contracting type 2 diabetes over the period of ten years. The test is completely confidential and takes minutes to complete.

Once you’re done with the test, you can take up simple actions that will help in the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Some of the activities that can help in the reduction of risk are:

1. Keeping your weight in check: excess weight, especially around the abdomen increases the body’s resistance to the insulin hormone which can trigger the onset of type 2 diabetes.

2. Adopt a Healthy, balanced diet: Saturated and Trans fats are enemy no. 1 when it comes to tackling diabetes. Ensuring a healthy diet with more of fruits, vegetables and high fibre foods can help in decreasing the risk of onset. Also keep your salt intake in check and reduce the amount of fat in your meals.

3. Cut back on processed foods: Fast food or convenience foods as they are otherwise called are high in fat and salt. The best advice here is to start cooking your own meals and using fresh ingredients to do the same. This can further reduce the risk of contracting the disease in the future.

4. Cut back on alcohol and quit smoking: excess alcohol can lead to a rise in blood pressure and weight gain, not to forget the triglyceride levels. Men should cap their alcohol intake at two drinks a day whereas women should drink no more than one. Smokers are twice as likely to be at risk for contracting diabetes than non-smokers.

5. Go for regular health check-ups: It is advised that as you age, you should be going to a doctor more regularly for check-ups. You should always keep your blood glucose and cholesterol levels in check. Being vigilant against this disease is the best step you can take to reduce the risk of contracting it.