According to the World Health Organization, about 422 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes, with about 1.5 million deaths caused by the disease each year. In Hong Kong, about one in 10 adults has the disease, which is the 11th most common cause of death in the city.
Yet type 2 diabetes is largely both preventable and manageable – which is the focus of World Diabetes Day, observed annually on November 14.
Here is what you should know about diabetes, and how to lower your risk of developing type 2.
1. What is diabetes?
The body breaks down most of the food we eat into sugar, or glucose, and releases it into the bloodstream. When blood sugar levels rise, the pancreas releases insulin, which lets the blood sugar into the body’s cells for use as energy.
With diabetes, the body does not make enough insulin (insulin deficiency) or cannot use it as well as it should (insulin resistance). When there is not enough insulin, or cells stop responding to insulin, too much sugar stays in the bloodstream.
That can cause health problems such as heart disease, kidney disease and vision loss.
2. There are two main types of diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is usually caused by the immune system attacking insulin-producing cells, resulting in insulin deficiency, says Dr Wong Wai-sheung, a Hong Kong-based endocrinologist.
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