Today is World Health Day focusing on Diabetes and that is why I wanted to write this article to explain to you all about this disease, why it is so dangerous and what we can do about it.

Diabetes is a disease that means the body can not produce insulin or can not use insulin properly. Insulin is an important hormone that controls the amount of sugar in your blood. This can cause high or low blood sugar in people with Diabetes

There are two types of Diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2. Type 2 diabetes is the most common (about 90% of cases) and it is caused by obesity, unhealthy diets and a lack of diet

One in eleven people in the world now have diabetes (over 400 million people), so it is likely that everyone reading this article knows someone who has this disease. 

Diabetes is one of the leading causes of death in the world. In 2012 3.7 million people died from Diabetes or related problems.

It triples the risk of a heart attack and makes it 20 times more likely that you will have a leg amputated

It also increases the risk of stroke, kidney failure and blindness 

While there is no cure for Diabetes, it can be treated and with a healthy lifestyle people can live perfectly healthy, long lives with the disease, however early diagnosis increases your chances

Diabetes is known as the silent killer because it now affects so many of us and yet no one is really talking about it. The worst bit is that 90% of the cases (Type 2 Diabetes) is entirely preventable and is caused by our lifestyles. So what can we do about it? To reduce the risk of Diabetes you should:

Exercise for 30 minutes 4-5 times a week

Eat a healthy, balanced diet with a minimum of added sugar and processed foods

Maintain a healthy bodyweight

So how can you do this? Find an activity that you enjoy, or go for a walk outside and enjoy the lovely weather. Start off slowly and gradually increase the amount that you do. To improve you diet you can start with small changes; give up fizzy drinks, drink more water, eat fruit instead of sweets. If you want ideas read my blog for more tips and ideas.

One of the reasons I started this blog is because I wanted to explain to people that a healthy does not have to be difficult or complicated. A healthy lifestyle is so much more important than just looking good, it is about looking after your body and being as healthy as you can be.

TAGS: lifestyle