Building bridges between all communities
Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/100814
JANUARY ABORIGINAL health & wellness BY MARTIN ZEILIG DIABETES Today, more than nine million Canadians live with diabetes or prediabetes. Diabetes happens when your body does not make or use insulin the right way. Insulin is important for your body to turn sugar from food into energy. There are three types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes happens when the body doesn���t make insulin; Type 2 diabetes happens when the body has trouble using the insulin it makes; and gestational diabetes where the body can���t use insulin during pregnancy. Nearly 50 per cent of those Canadians living with prediabetes will go on to develop type 2 diabetes. Over the past 30 years, the number of children diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes within the Winnipeg Health Region's jurisdiction has soared from zero to more than 70 a year, notes information from the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority. Many of these cases originate in northeastern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. Certain populations in Canada carry a heavier diabetes burden. These include Aboriginal peoples, immigrants, some ethnocultural communities, and those Canadians who are older, low-income, and have a family history of diabetes or gestational diabetes. ���Diabetes prevalence rates among Aboriginal populations are estimated to be at least three times higher than in the general population, if not higher,��� says information from Health Canada. In fact, compared to the general population, Aboriginal peoples are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at a much younger age. Prediabetes is more common among Aboriginal communities; Obesity rates are higher in Aboriginal communities; Aboriginal women are particularly vulnerable to diabetes. One study has shown that while diabetes is more than 2.5 times more prevalent among Aboriginal men than non-Aboriginal men, Aboriginal women have more than four times the rate of non-Aboriginal women. Aboriginal women also face more than double the risk for gestational diabetes. Diabetes was not always a health issue for Aboriginal people. When Aboriginal people had a traditional lifestyle with lots of physical activity and traditional foods, fewer people had diabetes. Living a more traditional lifestyle can give Aboriginal people a way to prevent diabetes, and can help those who have diabetes live healthier lives, says the Health Canada publication, What Is Diabetes? Here are some steps you can take to manage your diabetes and help maintain your overall health and wellness ��� today and in the future: Don���t smoke; Follow a balanced meal plan; Be physically active; Maintain a healthy weight; In addition to regular check-ups with your doctor, also include regular visits to your dentist and eye care specialist (every one to two years). Sources: Health Canada, Canadian Diabetes Association, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority