Ontarians' lack of exercise and unhealthy diets are responsible for alarming rates of diabetes that have well exceeded projections made by the World Health Organization.
According to a study published in this month's edition of the medical journal The Lancet, rates of diabetes in Ontario have risen sharply over the last decade.
Researchers with the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences found that almost nine percent of Ontarians over the age of 20 had diabetes in 2005, compared to 5.2 in 1995.
That's an increase of nearly 70 percent.
Researchers pored over 10 years worth of Ontario health data. While the study didn't say which kind of diabetes those featured in the study have, lead researcher Dr. Lorraine Lipscombe said 90 percent of cases are Type 2 diabetes, or adult-onset diabetes.
What makes these findings even more startling is that they far exceed the worldwide prevalence rate of 6.4 percent and 8.4 percent for developed nations projected for 2030 by the World Health Organization.
"Given this linear growth in the prevalence of diabetes, more than 10 percent of the adult population of Ontario will be diagnosed with diabetes before 2010," Lipscombe explained.
"If similar trends are occurring throughout the developed world, then the magnitude of the emerging diabetes epidemic is far greater than we anticipated."
The disturbing health trend is particularly prevalent in younger adults, specifically, between the ages of 20 and 49. Incidence nearly doubled between 1995 and 2005 in that age group, from 3.5 percent from 1.8 percent.
While there are a few factors experts believe are responsible for the increased diabetes rates, obesity is number one, according to Dr. Stewart Harris, a spokesman for the Canadian Diabetes Association.
"I pigged-out a lot. I weighed 235lbs. I had all the things that are bad for diabetes," patient Steve Saviolidis said. "(And) I got diabetes."
But he managed to control the disorder with diet and exercise. He lost 50 lbs., his blood sugar levels are normal and he no longer uses diabetes medication.
The growing prevalence of diabetes has raised serious concerns about the future impact and burden on the health care system.
There are different kinds of the disease: Type 1 and Type 2. Studies have shown that lifestyle (diet and exercise) can either stop or stall Type 2 in high-risk grown-ups. But so far, no one knows how to prevent Type 1.
That form of the illness is more common among kids and young adults. But it can still attack at any age. It makes up about 10 per cent of all instances of the disease. If you suffer from Type 1, your body doesn't produce insulin. That means you have to have injections every day to metabolize the glucose you take in.
Type 1 Symptoms
- Frequent urination
- Extreme hunger and thirst
- Weight loss
- Weakness and tiredness
Type 2 is the most common form of the illness, striking about 90 per cent of the diabetes population. The causes vary and can include age, weight and heredity. Most people suffering from this other form of the ailment actually do produce enough insulin. But their bodies can't use it correctly.
Type 2 Symptoms
- Feeling tired
- Blurred vision
- Dry, itchy skin
- Increased hunger and thirst
- Increased urination
- Tingling or loss of feeling in hands or feet
- Non-healing infections of skin, vagina and/or bladder
- Vaginal yeast infections
Possible Dangers
- Kidney disease
- Blindness
- Nerve damage
- Heart disease
- Foot problems
- Blood vessel diseases
- Amputations
- Sexual problems
- Early death
For information on treating diabetes,
click here.
For more information visit the
Canadian Diabetes Association's website.