World Diabetes Day 2020

It’s time to know about diabetes!

A people-centric campaign by the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) on World Diabetes Day 2020

The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) is supporting the World Diabetes Day (WDD) for another year, joining its voice with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). This year the ISA is running a people-centric campaign with two distinctive objectives:

  • to help inform the public about key diabetes facts such risk factors for developing type 2 diabets and lifestyle changes needed to help prevent and/ or manage diabetes; and,
  • to support the International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) campaign for WDD 2020 which aims to raise awareness around the crucial role that nurses and other health professionals play in supporting people living with diabetes.

This year, the ISA campaign for World Diabetes Day is proudly endorsed by the Brazilian diabetes association1(ANAD), the Brazilian Federation of Diabetes’ Organisations² (FENAD), the Brazilian Association of Diabetes Educators3 (ANBED), the Brazilian Society for Food and Nutrition(SBAN), and the Mexican Diabetes Federation5 (FMD).

TIME TO KNOW ABOUT DIABETES!

This year, the ISA online campaign aims to raise awareness about key diabetes facts including the risks of Covid-19 complications for people living with diabetes. We believe that “It’s time for all to know about diabetes”!

The campaign materials include a series of short video interviews capturing the pulse of what the public thinks and knows about diabetes, as well as an interactive Diabetes Quiz aiming to help people test and advance their knowledge about the disease.

We went out to the street (when allowed to so do and taking the necessary Covid-prevention measures) to ask people what they thought about diabetes. We asked them several questions: What are the risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes and what can someone do to reduce the risk? How can people find out if they have it? Do patients living with diabetes have to follow a strict diet? What are the risks of Covid-19 for people with diabetes? We invite you to watch below the compilation of the three short videos filmed on this occasion, to find out more about what the public thinks about diabetes.

Do you want to test your own knowledge about diabetes? For example, do you know that about 1 in 10 people worldwide are living with diabetes and that 1 in 2 people with diabetes don’t know they have it? What else do you know or don’t know about diabetes? Take the ISA Diabetes Quiz here to find out!

The materials developed for this year’s WDD complement an extensive number of informative resources, such as animated videos and infographics developed over the years in the context of previous ISA campaigns for WDD. You may access the materials of previous campaigns by clicking here.

ABOUT WORLD DIABETES DAY 2020 – THE NURSE AND DIABETES

The theme for World Diabetes Day 2020 is “The Nurse and Diabetes”. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) campaign aims to raise awareness around the crucial role that nurses play in supporting people living with diabetes. As the number of people with diabetes continues to rise across the world, the role of nurses and other health professional staff support is becoming increasingly important in managing the impact of the condition. Nurses are often the first and sometimes only health professionals that a person interacts with and so the quality of their initial assessment, care and treatment is vital.

The ISA will play its part in supporting WDD aims this year by sharing the campaigns’ key messages. More information about diabetes awareness month and World Diabetes Day 2020 is available on the official WDD website by clicking here.

WHAT ABOUT THE ROLE OF LOW/NO CALORIE SWEETENERS IN DIABETES?

Low/no calorie sweeteners offer people with diabetes broader food choices by providing the pleasure of sweet taste without affecting blood glucose control.6 Studies show that unlike carbohydrates low/no calorie sweeteners do not raise blood sugar level,7,8 and that people with diabetes can use them safely. This finding has been further endorsed by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which authorised the health claim that low/no calorie sweeteners used as a replacement for sugars induce a lower blood sugar rise after consumption compared to sugar-containing foods and drinks.9

For more scientific information about the benefits of low/no calorie sweeteners for people living with diabetes, we invite you to read the dedicated ISA website page here. Please also download the infographic about “Low calorie sweeteners in diabetes”, which is available by clicking here.

THE ISA CAMPAIGN FOR #WDD2020 GOES SOCIAL!

Stay tuned on ISA social media profiles to find out more about diabetes and advance your level of knowledge on what can be done to prevent or manage diabetes!

Don’t forget to use the dedicated hashtags #ISA4WDD and #WDD2020 and to follow @SweetenersAndU, our Facebook and LinkedIn pages, as well as to subscribe to the ISA YouTube channel!

  1. Associação Nacional de Atenção ao Diabetes
  2. Federação Nacional de Associações e Entitades de Diabetes
  3. Associação Nacional Brasileira de Educadores em Diabetes
  4. Sociedade Brasileira de Alimentação e Nutrição
  5. Federación Mexicana de Diabetes
  6. Diabetes UK. The use of low or no calorie sweeteners. Position Statement (Updated December 2018). Available at: https://www.diabetes.org.uk/professionals/position-statements-reports/food-nutrition-lifestyle/use-of-low-or-no-calorie-sweetners
  7. 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
  8. Greyling A, Appleton KM, Raben A, Mela DJ. Acute glycemic and insulinemic effects of low-energy sweeteners: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2020; 112(4): 1002-1014
  9. EFSA Scientific opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to intense sweeteners. EFSA 2011 Journal 9(6): 2229, and 9(4): 2076