‘Do it for You’ – ISA’s online activities on World Diabetes Day aim to encourage women to prioritise diabetes management.
Brussels, 14 November 2017: Recognising the importance to join forces with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in the effort to raise awareness about the need to prioritise diabetes management, especially in times when diabetes rates are on the rise globally, the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) proudly supports World Diabetes Day (WDD) on 14th November for a sixth consecutive year with an online campaign themed ‘Do it for you’.
With women being at the “heart” of World Diabetes Day 20171 , themed ‘Women and diabetes – Our right to a healthy future’, the aim of the ISA online activity programme is to help encourage women to make their diabetes management one of their core priorities among other esential tasks in a woman’s life.
By developing engaging online materials with the scientific support of the European Specialist Dietetic Network for Diabetes (ESDN) for Diabetes of the European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD), we hope to urge women to take action for themselves and for a healthier future, because the better women get their diabetes under control, the better they’ll be able to enjoy a healthy life.
Dr Aimilia Papakonstantinou, lecturer on nutrition and metabolism at the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece, and lead of the EFAD’s ESDN for Diabetes, emphasised, “We have good news to share. Diabetes is a chronic disease but it can be easily managed and optimal glyceamic control can be achieved. What’s needed is a better planning of everyday activities that can have an impact on diabetes management including diet and lifestyle habits as well as glucose monitoring. Women with diabetes all over the world can stay reassured that they can have a normal life and do everything with diabetes. And in this effort, dietitians across the world can be key allies in helping people with diabetes have a better glucose control for a healthy future.”
‘Do it for You’ and for a healthy future
The core of the ISA online activities for World Diabetes Day 2017, under the umbrella theme ‘Do it for You’, consists of an inspirational animated video and an engaging infographic, which aim to help inform women that managing diabetes might sound scary at first but it can be easier than they think, if they just place diabetes management and glucose control as one of their key priorities in life and further make small changes towards a healthier diet and lifestyle.
Within the context of taking small steps towards a healthier diet and lifestyle, low calorie sweeteners can have a helpful role and be part of the diet of people with diabetes as low calorie sweetened foods and drinks provide a greater variety of sweet-tasting options with fewer or no calories, while helping people with diabetes to manage their carbohydrate and overall daily calorie intake2, 3 .
Watch the ISA animated video in support of World Diabetes Day 2017 and download the ISA infographic in your language to find out why it is important to ‘Do it for YOU’ and why by prioritising your diabetes management and by bringing your family and friends on board you can make it easier to keep your blood glucose under control and for all to live a healthier life!
For more information on the ISA online activity programme for World Diabetes Day 2017 and to check out the ‘Do it for you’ infographic and animated video please click here.
Don’t forget to follow @SweetenersAndU on Twitter, our Facebook and LinkedIn pages, and to subscribe to the ISA YouTube channel, and get involved in the conversation by using and following hashtags #ISAforWDD and #WDD.
