Diabetes in Canada

 

Diabetes in Canada

Who is at risk?
How can I reduce my risk for diabetes?
Physical activity and food
Diabetes and alcohol
No Obligation Quote
How Much Control Do We Have Over Diabetes?
Conventional wisdom about treating and controlling diabetes, especially Type 2 diabetes, has been in flux. The principal source of the controversy is the realization in researchers’ circles that there is a dearth of evidence supporting the use of glucose-lowering drugs and the tight control of blood sugar as the most important way to fight Type 2 diabetes.

This doesn’t mean that blood sugar isn’t important! What it seems to mean is that experts are taking a closer look at diabetes, and all of the factors that influence it, with the idea that might have more control over the disease and its prevention than we previously thought.

So, how much control do we have over diabetes? Probably more than you might think. And that’s great for everyone; people who know they have more control over their health enjoy better outcomes, the research proves it.

Diabetes in Canada
Here are the most recent nationwide statistics on diabetes in Canada:

During the most recent years for which complete data was available (2013-2014), almost 3.0 million Canadians (8.1 percent) were living with diabetes.
About 20 percent of diabetes cases are undiagnosed.
Although diabetes rates increased with age, more than 50 percent of Canadians with diabetes (1.2 million) were between 25 and 64 years old.
More men (8.7 percent) than women (7.6 percent) have diabetes.
Between 1998 – 1999 and 2008 – 2009, the number of diagnosed diabetes in Canada increased by 70 percent. The biggest relative increase was among 35 to 44 age group, where the incidence of diabetes doubled.
In 2013 – 2014, there were close to 200,000 new cases of diabetes in Canada (5.9 cases per 1,000 people).
If 2008 – 2009 incidence and mortality rates hold, the number of Canadians living with diabetes will reach 3.7 million by 2018 – 2019.
What is diabetes?
Diabetes is a condition that develops either when your body cannot effectively use the insulin it makes, or when it does not make enough insulin in the first place. Insulin is critical to your body’s ability to break down sugar it needs for energy. Without insulin, sugar builds up in the blood.

What are the types of diabetes?
There are three kinds of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes happens when the pancreas no longer makes insulin. It usually develops in children, teenagers, and young adults. About 10 percent of people who have diabetes have Type 1 diabetes, which is treated with insulin.
Type 2 diabetes happens because although the pancreas still makes insulin, it does not make enough, or if it does, the body cannot effectively use that insulin. It typically develops in adults who are overweight. About 90 percent of people who have diabetes have Type 2, which may be treated with medication, lifestyle changes, or both.
Gestational diabetes occurs in 2 to 4 percent of pregnant women. It usually disappears after the baby is born, but it can increase the risk of developing diabetes later in life for both the mother and the baby.
What is prediabetes?
Diabetes isn’t the kind of health problem that is present or not present like a light switch is on or off; as your blood glucose rises and gets close to the high levels associated with diabetes, you will eventually be in the prediabetes range. Prediabetes is also called Impaired Fasting Glucose (IFG) or Impaired Glucose Tolerance (IGT).

Prediabetes is not the same as diabetes, but it may mean that you are at increased risk for developing diabetes, and that you should make lifestyle changes and get your blood glucose levels tested more frequently.

Sources
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/diseases-conditions/diabetes-canada-highlights-chronic-disease-surveillance-system.html
https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/chronic-diseases/reports-publications/diabetes/diabetes-canada-facts-figures-a-public-health-perspective/chapter-1.html