Diabetes affects 1.1 million Australians and costs the country $14 billion dollars annually. The International Diabetes Federation estimates that just under one in 10 adults, or 382 million people, have diabetes. This is expected to rise to 592 million people by the year 2035.
Diabetes is a disease that develops when the body either stops producing the hormone insulin or when the insulin that it produces is not working properly.
Insulin acts like a key to open the doors to the cells to let in glucose from the blood. Glucose is a form of sugar used in the body’s cells for fuel and to perform all different kinds of work.
There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2 and gestational. Whatever type of diabetes you have, one of the foundations of successful management is healthy eating and drinking.
We spoke to Dr Rahman Shinwary to explain more, please listen to the first part of the interview here.
