November is National Diabetes Awareness Month

BY MICHAEL THOMAS

Brampton residents were treated to an education in diabetes and its impact on individuals, families and the community during a well-attended event hosted by MP Sonia Sidhu, together with Diabetes Canada at the downtown Brampton YMCA on Saturday, November 30^th.

The event marked November as Diabetes Awareness Month in Canada, following a successful motion (M-173) put forth in Parliament earlier this year by MP Sidhu which was passed unanimously by members from all political parties. A similar proclamation was sponsored by MP Sidhu for the City of Brampton in 2017. Those in attendance learned about the importance of healthy eating by following Canada’s recently revised Food Guide, which is now available in 28 languages. In addition, the importance of leading an active lifestyle which includes exercising on a regular basis was also highlighted.

Many people who were present donated gently used clothing and household items to Diabetes Canada as part of their ongoing program to help support diabetes awareness and assistance to those suffering from diabetes across the country.

Things to know about Diabetes Canada:

Diabetes Canada is a registered national charitable organization that is making the invisible epidemic of diabetes visible and urgent. Diabetes Canada partners with Canadians to end diabetes through:

Resources for health care professionals on best practices to care for people with diabetes

Advocacy to governments, schools and workplaces

Funding world-leading Canadian research to improve treatments and find a cure

MP for Brampton South Sonia Sidhu spoke with Toronto Caribbean Newspaper about her role in making all this happen and diabetes awareness in Canada. When asked what does national diabetes month mean to her Sidhu said, “First of all I have a background in health care for almost two decades and in Brampton a lot of people are either diabetic or pre-diabetic and if left untreated the disease can have serious complications like heart and kidney problems. An active lifestyle is very important and that is why we did this event at the YMCA, they have classes that address this issue as well.”

Sidhu who has attended international conferences in Rome and Calcutta told Toronto Caribbean Newspaper “This has given me the insights on what other countries are doing to combat the disease and I had an opportunity to share our Canadian information with them as well.” She said that she is optimistic that working with all levels of government and all like-minded different organizations like Diabetes Canada will help in making meaningful progress in fighting this awful disease called diabetes and save millions of dollars in healthcare.

Some facts on type 2 diabetes and a few quotes from Dr. Jan Hux, President, and CEO of Diabetes Canada:

• Type 2 diabetes is the most common, where the pancreas either cannot effectively use or produce enough insulin. It is found in approximately 90-95% of Canadians living with diabetes
• Alarmingly, type 2 diabetes, which used to be a type of diabetes exclusively experienced by adults, is now increasingly developing in children. The causes of type 2 diabetes can be genetic, behavioral and/or environmental. People of South Asian, Hispanic or African descent are at higher risk of type 2 diabetes
• Prediabetes occurs when an individual’s blood glucose levels are high, but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. Approximately 50% of those with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes

“There has never been a more urgent time to create greater awareness of diabetes,” says Dr. Jan Hux, president, and CEO of Diabetes Canada. “One in three Canadians have diabetes or prediabetes, and those at age 20 now face a 50% chance of developing the disease. That staggering number speaks to the epidemic diabetes has become across Canada.”

“Canada can no longer ignore one of the biggest health crises of our time,” said Dr. Jan Hux, President, and CEO of Diabetes Canada.  “Our country continues to face a diabetes epidemic. A nation-wide diabetes strategy, Diabetes 360˚, has the potential to create an environment in which the health of Canadians can improve, including the 11 million people with diabetes and prediabetes.”

For more information, visit diabetes.ca or call 1-800-BANTING (226-8464).