Do you know how to get support to help control your diabetes

Do you know your blood sugar numbers? Here's what to know about diabetes

Since March 2020, South Africans have been focusing on the signs of infection and protecting themselves from COVID-19.

This is sensible, but so is paying attention to a condition that affects 12.8% of adults in South Africa according to the International Diabetes Federation's (IDF's) 2019 Diabetes Atlas. By now, even more adults could have diabetes, especially considering the jump in numbers from just three years ago. 2017 statistics showed that 5.4% of adult South Africans had diabetes.

Have your blood sugar tested. Early detection and treatment can help prevent complications. If your diabetes is under control, you can lead a full, healthy life.

Getting to grips with diabetes

It's incredibly important to regularly check if you have abnormal blood sugar levels.

It is estimated that millions of South Africans have pre-diabetes. This is a condition where insulin resistance causes blood glucose levels to be higher than normal but not high enough to be type 2 diabetes. If left untreated, this eventually leads to type 2 diabetes.

Most people with insulin resistance do not know they have it for many years. Pre-diabetes can progress to type 2 diabetes unless you make positive lifestyle changes. The most important diabetes prevention and management tools are achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, engaging in regular exercise, and following a healthy diet.

Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body is unable to produce insulin. It generally starts during childhood. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body produces insulin but cannot respond to it effectively. Type 2 diabetes is usually associated with lifestyle behaviours and genetic predisposition.

What increases the risk of the onset of type 2 diabetes

Different variables contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes. The following are some of the most important elements that raise a person's risk:

1. Genetics: If a parent or grandparent has it, you have a higher chance of developing it.
2. Age: As people get older, the chances of developing it increase. Because of this, you need to test your blood glucose levels regularly.
3. Abdominal weight: Carrying additional weight around the stomach is a major risk factor. Males should have a waist circumference of less than 102cm, while females should have a waist circumference of less than 88cm. You need to check your waist circumference regularly.
4. Obesity: Being overweight raises the risk significantly. A significant number of patients with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese, which is why it is important to check your body mass index (BMI) regularly.
5. Inactivity: A lack of exercise is not only bad for a person's waistline, but it can also raise their diabetes risk. It is well-documented that exercise reduces the risk of diabetes.
6. Diet: It is not true that sugar consumption causes diabetes. A high-calorie diet rich in fatty, starchy, or sugary foods can all contribute to weight gain, which is the true cause of type 2 diabetes.
7. Smoking: The more a person smokes, the higher their risk of developing diabetes.

Prevent type 2 diabetes with screenings and healthy behaviours

Even if type 2 diabetes runs in your family, a healthy, portion-controlled diet, frequent exercise, stopping or not smoking, and maintaining a healthy body weight can substantially lower anyone's chance of developing the disease.

To detect diabetes early, everyone, not only those with a family history of diabetes, must have a diabetes screening at least once a year. The process is as simple and fast using finger prick test that you can do with your doctor. Talk to your primary care doctor about the screening, so you get the advice you need before going for it. You can find a healthcare professional using our Find a Healthcare Provider tool.

A great addition to your medical aid cover is the newly launched Discovery Health Medical Scheme WELLTH Fund. This is a once-in-a-lifetime benefit that covers a comprehensive list of discretionary healthcare services for all scheme members, in addition to the other preventive screening tests that are already covered by the Screening and Prevention Benefit.

Learn more about how you can fund a variety of mental and physical health screening tests with the WELLTH Fund here.

The Discovery Health Medical Scheme is an independent non-profit entity governed by the medical schemes act, and regulated by the Council for Medical Schemes. it is administered by a separate company, Discovery Health (pty) ltd, an authorised financial services provider.