Diabetes: Risks, Symptoms & Solutions
 
 
Pre-diabetes (impaired glucose metabolism) and diabetes are the fastest growing diseases in the western world, affecting nearly 1 in 4 Australians over the age of 25. The good news is that in many cases pre-diabetes and diabetes can be reversed and managed with simple and effective lifestyle changes.
 
However early diagnosis and making the right lifestyle changes are essential to prevent the on set of this disease. It's currently estimated that 50% of Australians with type 2 diabetes, don't know they have it. To find out if you or a loved one is at risk, common symptoms and actions you can take today to prevent and manage diabetes, click on the relevant headings below:
 
 
Risk Factors
Refer below key factors that may put you at risk of type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes.
Waist to Hip Ratio:
Your waist to hip ratio can indicate if you are at risk of pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes. The FREE diet profile on the home page of this website will calculate this for you.
Waist Circumference:
You may be at risk of type 2 diabetes if you have a waist circumference of:
  • More than 80cm for women; and

  • More than 94 cm for men.

  • Body Mass Index (BMI) Greater Than 30

Body Mass Index:

A body mass index greater than 30 can put you at risk of type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes. The FREE diet profile will automatically calculate your BMI for FREE.
Further risk factors include:
  • Being physically inactive

  • High blood pressure

  • Family history of heart disease and/or type 2 diabetes

  • Hypertension

  • Having high triglycerides and low HDL cholesterol &/or high total cholesterol

  • Women with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

  • Women who have diabetes during pregnancy or who have given birth to a large baby (greater than 4.5kg)

  • Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders

  • People from certain ethnic backgrounds including the Pacific Islands, Asia and the Indian sub-continent – risk increases over the age of 35

  • People who are over 55 years of age (both male and female)


Common Symptoms
Type 1 diabetes symptoms are often sudden and can be life-threatening, therefore it is mostly diagnosed quickly. People who have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes, often have no symptoms, or signs can go unnoticed or attributed to ageing. Hence by the time people are aware of the symptoms, complications associated with diabetes already exist.

Some common symptoms of diabetes are detailed below:
  • Feeling tired and lethargic
  • Headaches
  • Being more thirsty than usual
  • Passing more urine
  • Having cuts that heal slowly
  • Blurred vision
  • Always feeling hungry
  • Itching, skin infections
  • Gradually putting on weight (type 2 diabetes)
  • Unexplained weight loss (type 1 diabetes)
  • Leg Cramps
  • Mood swings
  • Feeling dizzy
Take Action TODAY
There are simple and easy actions you can take today to prevent and manage diabetes. If you have any of the risk factors or symptoms above, make an appointment with your local General Practitioner (GP) who can carry out a simple test to determine if you have diabetes or pre-diabetes.
 
To start making the right lifestyle changes today to prevent diabetes and enjoy a healthy life, Living Well is a private and easy to follow diabetes prevention and management program, approved by accredited practising dietitian and exercise physiologist Joanne Turner: MSc (Nutr.Diet & ExRehab), MAAESS, MSDA, that makes healthy living simple!