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Home » Lifestyle » Health » World Diabetes Day 2021: History, significance, theme and 100 years since the discovery of ‘Insulin’

World Diabetes Day 2021: History, significance, theme and 100 years since the discovery of ‘Insulin’

World Diabetes Day is every year on November 14, first created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Foundation and the World Health Organization

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World Diabetes Day 2021: This year marks 100 years since the discovery of a treatment that has saved millions of lives around the world: insulin.

For World Diabetes Day 2021, we’re celebrating this incredible breakthrough and the century of life-changing diabetes discoveries it inspired.

World Diabetes Day is every year on November 14, first created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Foundation and the World Health Organization. Diabetes is a chronic disease where the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin if any at all. It also leads to serious health conditions and, in many ways, can be preventable. That’s why we take this day to spread awareness and education.

History of World Diabetes Day:

Diabetes is considered to have been around 1550 BC. The successful extraction and injection of insulin into humans was discovered in 1922. So, comparatively, our understanding of diabetes is quite new compared to its long, arduous march through history.

The difference between type two and type one started around 1850, where medical professionals at the time believed that they knew enough of the difference between the two to warrant two categories.

Since then, type II diabetes has ballooned to 90 percent of those affected, with an estimated $425 million individuals affected worldwide. This alarming rise in such a preventable disease is one of the reasons the WHO and IDF wanted to create World Diabetes Day to help spread awareness of how to prevent contracting the illness.

Having to manage blood sugar levels on a daily basis is a time-consuming and costly endeavor, as the economic cost of diabetes globally is around $727 billion (USD) and in the US alone it costs almost a third of that, at $245 billion.

The costliness and its prevention create even more reason for us to spread awareness of the disease, and also celebrate the birth of the man who helped bring insulin into the modern world as an effective treatment against it.

How to observe World Diabetes Day:

Wear the blue circle

The blue circle logo is a global symbol for diabetes awareness. On World Diabetes Day, wear a t-shirt, necklace or bracelet with the logo or create one yourself to make others aware of this dangerous disease and its effects.

Organize a diabetes fair

Partner with health officials to sponsor a diabetes fair at your place of work or your neighborhood. Offer diabetes screenings, disseminate information and brochures, and provide information on what people can do to prevent type II diabetes and stay healthy.

Get tested

Symptoms of diabetes can include but aren’t limited to excessive excretion of urine, thirst, constant hunger, weight loss, vision changes and fatigue. In addition, being overweight or obese greatly increases the chances of having type II diabetes. It’s estimated 1 in 2 adults with diabetes is undiagnosed. Use World Diabetes Day as a reminder to get tested if you have any risk factors or symptoms.

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Why World Diabetes Day is important:

It draws attention to the diabetes epidemic

Over a 25 year span (from 1988 to 2013) diabetes diagnoses increased roughly 380%. And these diagnoses are dangerous by the year 2030 the World Health Organization predicts diabetes will be the seventh leading cause of death in the world. This condition demands attention and that’s why having a whole day dedicated to it is crucial.

Type II diabetes can be avoided

World Diabetes Day serves as a reminder to live our lives more healthfully. Type II diabetes can be limited through a healthy diet, regular physical activity and maintaining a normal weight. Tobacco use exacerbates type II diabetes as well, and is best avoided.

It’s a reminder to be educated about diabetes

Type II diabetes has grown to epidemic proportions, but type I diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is just as serious a health threat. Approximately 1.25 million Americans are diagnosed with type I diabetes, but the cause of the disease is unknown. However, the health effects are just as devastating as type II diabetes. World Diabetes Day serves as a reminder to know the symptoms of diabetes, get tested, and get treatment.

Type 2 diabetes can be controlled through diet: Study

Ways to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes:

  • Eliminate sugar and refined carbs
  • Work out regularly and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle
  • Make water the primary beverage
  • Maintain a healthy weight
  • Quit smoking
  • Eat a high fiber diet
  • Optimize Vitamin D levels
  • Take natural herbs, such as curcumin and berberine, that increase insulin sensitivity

Type 2 diabetes is not preventable for everyone. However, making healthy choices provides the best chance of not getting it. In the United States, 9 out of every 10 cases of diabetes can be avoided if the above lifestyle changes are implemented. Families, schools, workplaces, communities, and healthcare providers can all work together to make healthy choices easy ones.

While Type 1 diabetes is not as preventable, it can be managed well with insulin injections. Managing Type 1 diabetes might also require frequent blood sugar monitoring, eating healthy foods, exercising regularly, and maintaining a healthy weight. Education is key to learning how to manage symptoms of Type 1 diabetes.

World Diabetes Day 2021 Theme:

Access to Diabetes Care is the theme for World Diabetes Day 2021-23.

  • Millions of people with diabetes around the world do not have access to diabetes care.
  • People with diabetes require ongoing care and support to manage their condition and avoid complications.

We cannot wait any longer for:

  • Medicine, technologies, support and care to be made available to all people with diabetes that require them.
  • Governments to increase investment in diabetes care and prevention.
  • The centenary of the discovery of insulin presents a unique opportunity to bring about meaningful change for the more than 460 million people living with diabetes and the millions more at risk.

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