Library
D is for Diabetes
Recent estimates say that there are over one million people in Australia with diabetes, and half of them do not know it (undiagnosed)!
Diabetes is a condition in which the amount of glucose (sugar) in the blood is too high because the boy is unable to use it properly. The condition leads to many major complications in terms of long-term chronic illness, including heart disease, kidney disease, eye problems, eye problems and various other maladies that greatly reduce the health and well-being of the sufferer.
There are two main types of diabetes, Type 1 or insulin dependent diabetes, and Type 2, or non-insulin dependent diabetes. Type 1 diabetes has a genetic component, which means you will be genetically pre-disposed to the disease. Type 2 diabetes, however, is widely regarded as a lifestyle disease. The number of cases of Type 2 diabetes has increased in tandem with the general rise in overweight and obesity and the increased sedentary behaviour of the overall population.
The concepts of lifestyle disease and lifestyle medicine are products of the later 20th and early 21st century. Lifestyle disease refers to the behavioural basis of many of the chronic disease problems currently evident within the overall population. In the case of Type 2 diabetes, there is little doubt that society’s ability to engineer much of the normal activity associated with physical labour out of our daily lives, has led to an increase in the occurrence of the disease. To combat this loss of labour-related activity we must re-introduce physical activity and exercise into our daily regimes.
Walking briskly for thirty minutes – the equivalent of 3,000 – to 4,000 steps – five times a week has been nationally adopted as the minimum requirement for healthy benefits. Thirty minutes spread over the day is equally beneficial and activity within your daily routine can also burn calories and improve metabolic function, such as your body’s response to insulin. The benefits are obvious. Go for a walk today!
Written by Professor Kerry Mummery
College of Health and Human Services
CQUniversity
