The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) supports World Diabetes Day 2024 and talks with European dietitians about well-being for a better life with diabetes
On 14th November every year, the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) joins the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in celebrating World Diabetes Day (WDD) to help raise awareness about diabetes prevention and management.
The theme of the campaign for WDD 2024-2026 is “Diabetes and well-being”, because diabetes may affect every part of a person’s life, often having a negative impact on well-being. Globally, 537 million people are living with diabetes – about 1 in 10 adults, and almost half of them are not even aware of it, remaining undiagnosed and prone to complications that can impact their overall well-being.
This year, we talk about well-being and the role of nutrition for a better diabetes life in collaboration with dietitians from the European Specialists Dietitians Network (ESDN) for Diabetes of the European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD).
ISA video for #WDD2024
The ISA has invited European dietitians-nutritionists to talk about diabetes, well-being and the role of nutrition for a better diabetes life. Working as part of a multidisciplinary team, dietitians have a central role in educating people on nutrition to improve health, well-being and the quality of life of people with diabetes.
In the ISA video in support of WDD 2024, expert dietitians of EFAD’s ESDN Diabetes Joanna Ostrowska, PhD, Assistant Professor at the Medical University of Warsaw, Poland, Martina Karbanová, Methodology Lead in Vitadio, Czech Republic, Ph.D. Candidate in Human Physiology and Pathophysiology, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University in Prague, and Maria Vasiloglou, PhD, Specialist in Nutrition and Digital Health at Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences, Switzerland, and ESDN Diabetes Committee Lead, have joined the ISA Nutrition Science Director, Vicky Pyrogianni, MSc, Dietitian-Nutritionist to talk about nutrition and well-being in diabetes. The experts explain how nutrition is related to well-being and talk about the role of dietary advice in diabetes care for a better diabetes life.
The role of nutrition and well-being for a better diabetes life
This year, the WDD campaign puts well-being at the heart of diabetes care. People living with diabetes face challenges in every aspect of everyday life which can impact their overall well-being. This includes nutrition as people with diabetes constantly think about what to eat. Dr. Maria Vasiloglou explains that “well-being is closely linked to nutrition care, as proper nutrition supports physical, mental, and emotional health and balance”.
Nutrition is one of the cornerstones of diabetes care. Dr Joanna Ostrowska stresses that dietary interventions can significantly improve blood glucose levels, blood pressure, lipid control and body weight management, and all of these reduce risks of complications and can help achieve a better quality of life for people with diabetes. Martina Karbanová explains that the quality of food is essential for managing blood glucose levels and the overall health of patients. “The issue is not sugar itself or fat itself or any nutrient to blame but the consumption of the diet overall”, Martina adds.
Recommendations for the dietary management of diabetes suggest that a range of foods and dietary patterns are suitable for people living with diabetes. Having a healthy and balanced diet as everyone else is what is also recommended for people with diabetes, Vicky Pyrogianni clarifies and notes, “we don’t want people living with diabetes to feel deprived or different to everybody else”. Within this context, low and no calorie sweeteners can be part of a healthy diet, helping people with diabetes to feel less deprived by maintaining sweet taste in their diet while managing their intake of sugars and carbohydrates. Low/no calorie sweeteners do not affect blood glucose levels like sugars do, and their use as a strategy to reduce sugars intake is recommended by the American Diabetes Association and the Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group of the European Association for the study of Diabetes.
Helpful resources
- More information about World Diabetes Day (WDD) 2024 is available on the official WDD website at: https://worlddiabetesday.org
- The “EFAD & ESDN Diabetes Statement Paper on the Role of the Dietitian in the prevention and management of Diabetes” is available here
- The latest “Evidence-based European recommendations for the dietary management of diabetes” by the Diabetes and Nutrition Study Group (DNSG) of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) is published in Diabetologia. 2023 Jun;66(6):965-985, and is available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00125-023-05894-8
- The Medical Nutrition Therapy recommendations by the American Diabetes Association is available at: https://diabetesjournals.org/care/article/47/Supplement_1/S77/153949/5-Facilitating-Positive-Health-Behaviors-and-Well
- For more information on low/no calorie sweeteners and diabetes, you may read the related ISA factsheet and the Chapter of the ISA booklet that is dedicated to low/no calorie sweeteners, diabetes and cardiometabolic health.
Follow the ISA online campaign for WDD2024
Stay tuned on ISA social media profiles to find out more about our activities for #WorldDiabetesDay!
Don’t forget to use the dedicated hashtags #ISA4WDD, #WorldDiabetesDay, #WDD2024, #DiabetesLife, and to follow our Facebook and LinkedIn pages, as well as to subscribe to the ISA YouTube channel!
