World Diabetes Day 2015

Keep yourself sweet with everyday choices

Building on continued support for World Diabetes Day and in raising awareness about diabetes prevention and management, this year the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) has developed a new video to mark World Diabetes Day (14th November) that shows how healthy eating can be a key factor in the fight against diabetes.

The International Diabetes Federation, who created World Diabetes Day alongside the World Health Organization in 1991, estimates that up to 70% of type 2 diabetes cases could be prevented through lifestyle interventions. That is why this year’s World Diabetes Day theme looks at how our eating habits can help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes and can also be an important part of the effective management of all types of diabetes to help avoid complications.

“Healthy eating is a key component in the management of diabetes,” explains Prof Colette Shortt, Chairwoman of the International Sweeteners Association, “and it is recognised that healthy eating does not necessarily mean you have to miss out on foods you enjoy. However as a general rule, we should be eating less sugar – but sometimes, only something sweet will do! Low calorie sweetened foods and drinks can help you reduce calorie and sugar intake; and when low or no calorie sweeteners are used in foods and drinks to replace sugar, they induce a lower blood glucose rise after consumption than that observed with sugar-containing foods. For those living with diabetes as well as for everyone who wants to maintain a healthy weight, low calorie sweetened options are a useful tool that can help in weight and blood glucose management without compromising on the enjoyment of a sweet taste.”

It is not just the big moments that can have a big effect on your life. This is why getting small, everyday choices right does matter, like eating a healthy diet and being active. By providing the pleasure of sweetness without the added calories or without affecting blood sugar levels, low calorie sweetened options make a useful contribution to a healthy, balanced diet.

Learn more about the International Diabetes Federation by visiting their website here, and about World Diabetes Day by clicking here.