Diabetes: The Basics

More than 5% of adult kiwis have been diagnosed with diabetes (MOH 2013/14 http://goo.gl/LZWSGW).

About 100,000 more are suffering but have not yet been diagnosed (https://goo.gl/m3wuDF). Could you be one of this latter group?

Take a look at these symptoms: http://goo.gl/lM94Gk. Time to see your doctor?

Diabetes is a chronic condition and, if left untreated, can cause kidney failure, blindness, lower limb amputations and premature death. Put briefly, the condition arises when people have too much glucose (sugar) in their blood because, for one reason or another, their pancreas cannot make enough insulin.

There are three types of diabetes. Type 1 occurs when people cannot make insulin (or very little). Type 2 occurs when they can make insulin but production is sluggish or their body is resistant. Type 3 – gestational diabetes – occurs among women who have high levels of glucose because they cannot produce enough insulin in the course of pregnancy. More: http://goo.gl/2rQs89.

Diet can make a huge difference to those suffering from diabetes. See http://goo.gl/hbbP89.

Here are some useful tips on how to deal with a diabetes emergency at work: https://goo.gl/Az7D9c.

And here is a free poster to help remind your colleagues about the importance of regular diabetes and heart checks: http://goo.gl/Z26mo2.