Invest in your health to

“People might put off seeking help for iabete t in in t ey won t be ab e to fully enjoy their favourite foods or activities like family get-togethers,” says Dr Joan St John, a London primary care octor ecia i in in iabete . ut it about moderation and taking simple steps to look after ourselves to reduce the risk of harmful complications if you have diabetes or reduce your risk of developing type 2 iabete in t e fir t ace.

Diabetes Uncovered

Our blood sugar levels are regulated by a hormone called insulin which is made in our pancreas. If it isn’t doing its ob correctly, our bodies may not produce any or enough insulin, causing our blood sugar levels, also known as blood glucose, to go too high.

“People sometimes think that type 2 diabetes is a more advanced form of type 1, but this isn’t the case,” says Dr St John. “Both result in high blood glucose levels but what causes the disruption to the body’s ability to produce or manage insulin is a different underlying process.”

■ Type 1 diabetes is a genetic, lifelong autoimmune disorder, usually diagnosed in childhood and unrelated to lifestyle. The immune system attacks and destroys the insulin-making cells in the pancreas, so it doesn’t pro- duce the insulin needed to control blood sugar levels.

■ Type 2 diabetes is more common. Here, insulin in our bodies doesn’t do its ob properly or the pancreas doesn’t make enough of it. Unlike type 1, it is related to lifestyle and usually detected later in life. It can sometimes be prevented or reversed if caught early.

“There is a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes in our community, but it’s not entirely clear why,” says Dr St John. “It’s likely to be a combination of things including your lifestyle, age, and physiological factors. Your risk is also higher if you have a close blood relative with diabetes, and it’s more common in people with certain conditions like severe mental illness, and learning disability, or a history of high blood pressure.” u ar i n t t e on y i ue

We can’t change our age or family history, of course, but we can do something about our lifestyle.

“People ask ‘why do I have diabetes when I don’t eat many sugary foods ’ But it’s not purely about sugar,” e plains Dr St John. “Yes, we refer to blood glucose, or blood sugar levels, but what’s critically important is our weight.

“Everyone has an optimum weight and as we go over that, our risk of developing type 2 diabetes increases. And your optimum weight will be individual to you.

“Think about your meals – are they balanced It’s great to have our favourite foods but they need to be in moderation. How much you’re going to have and how often Foods high in sugar, fat and salt increases visceral fat, most visible as that thickening of the waist we sometimes see as we age and it contributes to cardiovascular diseases too, including heart disease.

“And move more, use stairs not the lift, get off the bus a stop or two earlier, walk instead of driving. Start being active, garden, walk, dance or do something else you en oy.”

Improving your diet and being active will help reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, but free NHS support is available too. If you’re aged or pharmacist about online NHS

18 and over and live with obesity and either diabetes, high blood pressure, or both, ask your GP practice or pharmacist about online NHS Digital Weight Management.

“If your blood glucose levels are higher than e pected and you don’t have diabetes, ask your GP practice about the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme.,” adds Dr St John. “It takes about nine months but it’s worth it and over 1.2 million people have already been referred.

“Having e pert help can make it easier to make those small positive changes to your diet, weight and physical activity that can significantly reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes and have a big impact on your future health.”