World Diabetes Day: Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Encouraged by Experts

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In celebration of World Diabetes Day, the World Health Organization calls for greater action against the global diabetes epidemic. Health experts are encouraging people to eat healthier and do more physical activities to reduce the risk of diabetes.

Diabetes, also known as diabetes milletus, is a chronic disease in which the body has high blood sugar, as defined by MNT. According to MNT, there are two types of diabetes. The first one, called Type 1, happens when the body cannot produce insulin. It comprises about 10% of all diabetes. The second one, called Type 2, happens when the body cannot produce enough insulin.

Around 387 million people suffer from some form of diabetes worldwide, Yahoo says. In the United States alone, close to 30 million are suffering from diabetes. There are also around 86 million Americans who have prediabetes that are at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Individuals suffering from diabetes have a higher risk of having a poor cardiovascular health than those who do not. In a report by MNT, Professor Lars Rydén, the spokesperson for the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), notes that "Women are normally protected from cardiovascular disease and get it later in life than men, but that benefit is eliminated if they have diabetes."

Majority of the population knows that exercise is good for the body. Most countries even have guidelines that recommend how much physical activity a person should do. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), however, claims that less than 50% of adults do the recommended amount of activity.

Because of this, Rydén recommends individuals to follow four easy steps that can help decrease the risk for diabetes. Firstly, individuals should move their body around more. Additionally, they must participate in moderate to intense physical activity around 3 hours a week or more. They should also avoid eating food with little to no nutritional value. Lastly, healthier foods should be consumed.

Rydén adds that there now exists scientific evidence that people who have impared glucose tolerance, a pre-stage of diabetes, can reduce the risk of getting diabetes if they move more and eat healthy.

In another report by MNT, a study found that individuals who ate healthy and did physical activity were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who did not. MNT also reported on a study that concluded increasing intake of homemade meals may decrease a person's risk for type 2 diabetes.