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World Health Day 2016

According to World Health Organisation (WHO), ‘The number of people living with diabetes has nearly quadrupled since 1980 to 422 million adults, with most living in developing countries.’ For that reason, WHO is marking its annual World Health Day, 7 April 2016, by calling for action on diabetes.

As the leading provider of training, career advice and recruitment for people who want to go further in care, World Health Day is something we’re passionate about promoting here at NCT. In support of this year’s campaign to promote diabetes, we’ve wrote this blog to highlight the need to step up prevention and treatment of the disease.

What is diabetes?

Diabetes occurs when the volume of glucose in your body is too high because the body cannot consume it properly. This is because your pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin, or not enough insulin, to assist glucose in entering your body’s cells.

Glucose is used in the body as fuel. It can be used immediately for energy or stored in our bodies for future use. For this process to work, our bodies need insulin in order to use or store glucose for energy. Without insulin, glucose stays in the bloodstream, making blood sugar levels high, which can be dangerous.  

There are two types of diabetes; Type 1 and Type 2. You can find out more about the differences on the NHS website.

Spotting signs of diabetes

According to the National Health Service, the main symptoms of diabetes are:

  • feeling very thirsty
  • urinating more frequently than usual, particularly at night
  • feeling very tired
  • weight loss and loss of muscle bulk
  • itching around the penis or vagina, or frequent episodes of thrush
  • cuts or wounds that heal slowly
  • blurred vision

Reduce your risk of diabetes

It is said that approximately 3.9 million people living in the UK suffer with diabetes. That's more than one in 16 people, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed.

Type 1 diabetes cannot be stopped but Type 2 can be prevented by making small lifestyle changes, such as eating healthier and exercising regularly.

Make sure you have a healthy, balanced diet by eating a range of different foods and swap processed food, which are often high in sugar, fat and salt, for homemade delicious dinners. There are lots of recipes and top tips for eating better on the Diabetes.org.uk website.

Not only does exercise release endorphins and make you feel great about yourself, being active can help you lose weight, lower blood sugar levels and help the body to use insulin more efficiently. Find out ways you can stay active by visiting Diabetes UK.  
 

If you found this article interesting and would like to pursue a career in care, check out our Health and Social Care apprenticeships and courses we offer here at NCT:

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To enquire further about Health and Social Care qualifications, call NCT on 0191 523 45320.



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