World Diabetes Day 2018

ISA supports families in achieving a healthy life for persons with diabetes The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) contributes to IDF’s activities on World Diabetes Day with an online campaign themed ‘It’s a Family Thing!’

Consistent to our promise to support activities of and to join our voice with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in raising awareness about the need to prioritise and improve diabetes prevention and management, the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) proudly supports World Diabetes Day (WDD) on 14th November for yet another year by developing an engaging online activity programme with the scientific support of the European Specialist Dietetic Network for Diabetes of the European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD).

With the family being at the “heart” of World Diabetes Day in 2018 and 2019, themed as ‘The Family and Diabetes – Diabetes Concerns Every Family’, the aim of the ISA online activities is to encourage family support and to raise awareness of the important role family members can play in the prevention, detection and management of diabetes. Therefore, by developing engaging online materials such as an animated video and infographics, we would like to urge families to understand that ‘It’s a Family Thing!’, because diabetes care starts from home.

world diabete day 2018

‘It's a Family Thing!’: An ISA online activity programme in support of WDD 2018

Aiming to help raise awareness of the role family can play in diabetes prevention and management, the ISA integrated online programme for World Diabetes Day this year, under the umbrella theme ‘It’s a Family Thing!, consists of an inspirational animated video and an engaging infographic, translated in different languages so that the message can travel in many countries around the world.

The ISA online activities for WDD 2018 also complement the educational materials that have been developed over the last years in the context of WDD 2016 and of WDD 2017, and which informed on the importance of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle1 and the value that starting with simple steps can bring towards living a healthier life to prevent, or manage, type 2 diabetes and its serious complications.

In developing these online materials over the last years, the ISA had the valuable scientific support of the European Specialist Dietetic Network for Diabetes of the European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD).

ISA animated video: ‘It's a Family Thing!’

Watch the ISA animated video in support of World Diabetes Day 2018 and find out why family’s role is key in diabetes prevention, detection and care. Because family is the best team you can have in life. A powerful ally!

ISA infographic: Do it for you and for your family – ‘It’s a Family Thing!’

Download the ISA infographic in your language to find out how family members can support persons with diabetes in the family and why each member has a unique, key role to play. The ISA infographic also provides information on the “right diet for diabetes”. In fact, there is no particular “diabetes diet”. This is simply a healthy family diet with some adjustments to the individual’s needs.

You may download the ISA infographic in different languages below:

The role of low calorie sweeteners in the diet of people with diabetes

Low calorie sweeteners offer people with diabetes broader food choices by providing the pleasure of sweet taste without affecting blood glucose control2,3. As low calorie sweeteners have no impact on insulin and blood sugar levels and do not provide calories, they can also have a role to play in weight management for people with type 2 diabetes4. As low calorie sweeteners provide no carbohydrates, they lead to a lower rise in blood sugar levels after meals if consumed instead of sugar5.

Do not miss to watch again a 2-minute video featuring renowned experts’ views on low calorie sweeteners’ role in the diet of people with diabetes! In the context of the ISA online activities for World Diabetes Day last year, we have developed a short 2-minute video integrating different experts’ views on the use of low calorie sweeteners by people with diabetes.

To access the individual video interviews with experts, please visit the ISA video library by clicking here.

About World Diabetes Day 2018

The theme for World Diabetes Day and World Diabetes Month 2018 and 2019 is “The Family and Diabetes”.

A two-year timeframe has been chosen to best facilitate planning, development, promotion and participation. Materials and actions that IDF will develop over the two years of the campaign6 will aim to:

  • Raise awareness of the impact that diabetes has on the family and support network of those affected.
  • Promote the role of the family in the management, care, prevention and education of diabetes.

More information about World Diabetes Day 2018 is available on the official WDD website by clicking here.

Some diabetes facts from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)7

  • 425 million adults have diabetes (1 in 11 people)
  • 1 in 2 type 2 diabetes cases remain undiagnosed
  • less than 1 in 4 family members of people with diabetes have access to diabetes education programmes

But…

  • 80% of type 2 diabetes cases is preventable by adopting a healthy lifestyle
  • & family support is key!

The ISA campaign for #WDD2018 goes social!

Stay tuned on ISA social media profiles to find out why with family support diabetes management, keeping your blood glucose under control and living a healthy life can be easier!

So don’t forget to use the dedicated hashtag #ISA4WDD and to follow @SweetenersAndU, ISA Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and to subscribe to the ISA YouTube channel!

To read the ISA press release for World Diabetes Day 2018, please click here.

  1. Evert AB, et al. Position statement of the American Diabetes Association: Nutrition therapy recommendations for the management of adults with diabetes. Diabetes Care, 2013; 36: 3821-3842
  2. Tucker RM., Tan S-Y. Do non-nutritive sweeteners influence acute glucose homeostasis in humans? A systematic review. Physiology and Behaviour 2017; 182: 17-26
  3. Nichol AD, Holle MJ, An R. Glycemic impact of non-nutritive sweeteners: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Eur J Clin Nutr 2018; 72: 796-804
  4. Gardner C, et al. Non nutritive sweeteners: current use and health perspectives: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes Care. (2012) Aug;35(8):1798-808
  5. EFSA NDA (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products Nutrition and Allergies). Scientific opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to intense sweeteners. EFSA 2011 Journal 9: 2229. Available online: https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/2229http:
  6. World Diabetes Day 2018. Available online: https://www.worlddiabetesday.org/about-wdd/wdd-2018-19.html
  7. IDF Diabetes Atlas – 8th Edition 2017. Available at: http://diabetesatlas.org/resources/2017-atlas.html