14/11/2025
is on 14th November as this is the birth date of Sir Frederick Banting who co discovered insulin in 1922 along with Charles Best
The aim of this day is to raise awareness. Diabetes is very complex and a lack of understanding can create stigma which in turn can cause harm as people may not access the support that they need
It is estimated that 5.8 million people in the UK are living with diabetes
Around 8% of those have type 1 diabetes and around 90% have type 2
Type 1 diabetes is a lifelong auto immune disease which requires daily management with insulin
The most common symptoms of Type 1 diabetes are
🚽Toilet - more often, especially at night
🥤Thirsty - constantly thirsty
😴 Tired - incredibly tired and no energy
🦴 Thinner - losing weight without trying
Type 2 diabetes can be treated with diet or medication and it is estimated up to 50% can be much improved by lifestyle changes
Untreated diabetes can lead to loss of vision, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, nerve damage and pregnancy complications
Factors for type 2 include:
Age
BMI
Physical Activity
Diet
Family history
We cannot do anything about our age or family history but we can improve the other factors
It is recommended our BMI is between 18.5 and 25 ⚖️
The UK Chief Medical Officer recommends 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week 🏃🏽♀️🏊♂️⚽️
We should try to make healthier choices, more often with our diet, only having small treats occasionally - making healthier choices improves our blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol 🍌🫐🥦🥗
Even if your weight is in the healthy BMI category it is still important to make healthy choices to reduce the chance of other health complications 🚑💔🫁
Sources: worlddiabetesday.org, diabetes.org.uk, diabetes.co.uk, gov.uk
