World Diabetes Day takes place on November 14, and the theme this year is ‘Women and Diabetes – our right to a healthy future’. There are currently over 199 million women living with diabetes. This total is expected to increase to 313 million by 2040.
ARE our unhealthy lifestyles making us more prone to developing type 2 diabetes? The answer seems to be an unequivocal yes. Check if you are at risk
Some of the risk factors for developing diabetes includes:
Being aged 35 or over
Being overweight (especially if you carry most of your weight around your middle)
Having a family history of diabetes
Having given birth to a baby that weighed over 4kg at birth, or have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy
Having high cholesterol or other fats in the blood
Having high blood pressure or heart disease
If you have any of the above conditions you are at risk.
The good news is that up to 70% of cases of type 2 diabetes can be prevented through the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.