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| Reference: http://www.who.int/campaigns/world-health-day/2016/poster-halt-the-rise.pdf?ua=1 |
April 7th marks World Health Day, a day
recognized by many health enthusiasts and given a theme annually by the World
Health Organization. This year’s theme,
“Beat Diabetes”, is undeniably, a very important and timely one, as it aligns
with achieving the global Sustainable Development Goal three target of reducing
premature mortality from noncommunicable diseases by one-third by 2030.
Diabetes is a chronic disease and epidemic
that is rapidly increasing in many countries, most dramatically in low- and
middle-income countries. Just in 2012, the disease was the direct cause of 1.5
million deaths. In fact, the World Health Organization projects that diabetes
will be the 7th leading cause of death by 2030.
However, the facts of the increasing prevalence of both
types of diabetes has a silver lining. Diabetes is both treatable and in many
cases, preventable.
Diet and physical activity are key health behaviours that
can be altered to reduce or increase your risk of developing diabetes.
Physical Activity
The World Health Organization has developed a set of guidelines
for daily physical activity levels. For those aged 18–64 years old:
1.
Adults aged 18–64 years should do at least 150
minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or
do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity
throughout the week, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and
vigorous-intensity activity.
2.
Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of
at least 10 minutes duration.
3.
For additional health benefits, adults should
increase their moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes per
week, or engage in 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity
per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity
activity.
·
Muscle-strengthening activities should be done
involving major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.
Diet
Last month we featured an interview
with Dietitian Kiran Bains who provides some great nutrition tips and
advice!
The World Health Organization also produces a list of recommended nutrient
requirements: protein, energy, vitamin A and carotene, vitamin D, vitamin
E, vitamin K, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, biotin,
vitamin B12, folate, vitamin C, antioxidants, calcium, iron, zinc, selenium,
magnesium and iodine.
