Dear Friend of Jean Hailes

Like me, I’m sure you’re confused about what you read about health.

First coffee’s good for us, then it’s bad. Keep out of the sun because it causes cancer, but get out in the sun so you’re not at risk of Vitamin D deficiency. Obesity is the biggest disease facing our youth, yet we’re often faced with stories about young people with eating disorders.

There is no doubt that we all need to consider our health right through our lives, especially before problems begin to emerge as we age. It can be confronting to grow older. Suddenly we focus on our  health, many of us for the first time in our lives, and it almost seems like you need a PhD to make sense of the latest research.

But there is good news. How we age largely depends on whether we look after ourselves. Simple equation really. It’s all about back to basics: taking care of ourselves by reading and listening to good advice – and taking it up!If we can make health information easier for you to understand and if you come away feeling, “Well I can  do that”, then I think we’re doing our job. It’s hard to make changes, but it’s good to know that even small changes make a difference to our health.

Life is a balancing act. We need to remember that while we are getting older, we’re also wiser and have years of life experience behind us to help us make sense of confusing information. So yes, we’ll drink a coffee or two each day, and even a glass of wine occasionally, but not too many. We may walk with friends in the summer sunshine, but perhaps not between 12 and 3pm. And we might indulge in the odd square of chocolate or two, but not every day.

Along with new-found wisdom, let’s be more confident as we age. And with this new confidence perhaps we’ll dare to celebrate this time in our lives. As psychologist – now author – Dr Mandy Deeks says, “Midlife is truly a time to be free – a time to be  me.” So, for all you ‘youngies’, there’s something to look forward to.

Happy and healthy holidays,

Janet Michelmore, AO
Director

Janet can be contacted on 1800 151 441.

Destined for diabetes? 

Not if you act now

Is it possible to delay or even prevent type 2 diabetes from ever developing? Yes it is. Unlike  many other illnesses, we receive a warning when  we are likely to develop diabetes. It’s called pre‑-diabetes and it offers the chance to head off the big D before it arrives.

Research director Professor Helena Teede  – whose research focuses on diabetes and heart disease prevention – has good news for Australian women. “There’s a lot you can do. You can work out your risk of developing diabetes and pre-diabetes and take action to prevent them developing,” Professor  Teede says.

No symptoms

“There are no symptoms with pre-diabetes and women are often unaware of their risk.” A visit to your doctor and a simple blood test (known as either a fasting blood glucose or a glucose tolerance test) will answer the question.

So what is pre-diabetes?

“It’s when blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. There are two million people in Australia who have pre-diabetes and they are very likely to develop diabetes within five to 10 years.”

Pre-diabetes is a very important marker of progression to serious illnesses including diabetes and heart disease. The good news is that recent research shows conclusively that people with pre-diabetes can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes by making changes in their diet and increasing their level of physical activity.

“It’s the old ‘small steps – big rewards’ theory. Walk regularly, eat fresh fruit and vegetables and you can make a significant impact on your future health. If you’re overweight, small weight losses of 5 per cent of body weight can make a large impact!”

Women who’ve had gestational diabetes when pregnant are very likely – in fact almost certain – to develop type 2 diabetes later in life. “These women – about one in 20 pregnant women – have been given a major wake-up call and have the opportunity to prevent the onset of both pre-diabetes and diabetes,” Professor Teede says.

“There is a disturbing lack of knowledge among women who have had gestational diabetes and many, once the pregnancy is over, forget about it. They need to continue being monitored (an oral glucose tolerance test every one to two years) and to ensure their weight is under control, that they are physically active and eating a healthy diet.”

It would be easy to ignore the risk of pre-diabetes and diabetes as there are no symptoms. As well, women are often so busy, a personal health check might be the last thing on their minds.

“Ignore pre-diabetes and you are at risk of some very serious illnesses as a result. “Patients who come to see me have often fallen down a slippery slope – from obesity and insulin resistance to pre-diabetes, diabetes and then they find they have cardiovascular disease.

“Five times as many women die of heart disease as breast cancer and one in two will die from cardiovascular disease – a risk greatly exacerbated by  diabetes.”

With lifestyle changes – exercise and diet – as well as  the use of medication when required, pre-diabetes can be treated and progression to serious illness prevented.

Healthy lifestyle tips

• Prevent unhealthy weight gain by eating according to your energy needs.
• Include at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week.
• Find an activity you enjoy – like walking.
• Eating regular meals will help reduce snacking.
• Eat a variety of vegetables and fruit. Try picking from the rainbow of colours available.
• Choose whole-grain foods over processed-grain products.
• Try brown rice with your stir fry or  whole-wheat spaghetti with your favorite pasta sauce.
• Include dried beans (like kidney or pinto beans) and lentils in your meals – tinned are convenient and nutritious.
• Include fish in your meals two or three times a  week.
• Choose lean meats like cuts of beef and pork that end in ‘loin’, such as pork loin and sirloin.
• Remove the skin from chicken and turkey.
• Choose non-fat dairy such as skim milk, non‑-fat  yoghurt and reduced-fat cheese.
• Carry a water bottle and choose water and calorie-free ‘diet’ drinks instead of regular soda, fruit punch, sweet tea and other sugar-sweetened drinks.
• Choose oils, such as olive or canola, for cooking instead of solid fats, such as butter, that can be high in saturated and trans fats. Remember that all fats are high in calories.
• Cut back on snack foods and desserts like chips, cookies, cakes and full-fat ice-cream – replace them with fruit and vegetables.
• Watch portion sizes, particularly to help manage your weight.

Want to prevent diabetes?

• Keep your weight in control.
• If you are overweight, aim to lose 5–10 per cent of your current body weight.
• Be active most days of the week (30 minutes per day).
• Eat low-fat meals high in fruits, vegetables and whole-grain foods.
•  Avoid sugary soft drinks and juices.
• Remember: simple preventative measures like these are extremely effective.

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The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health national magazine is designed to be informative and educational. It is not intended to provide specific medical advice or replace advice from your health professional. The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health does not accept any liability to any person for the information or advice (or the use of information or advice) which is provided in this national magazine or incorporated into it by reference. Information is  provided on the basis that all persons reading the national magazine undertake responsibility for assessing the relevance and accuracy of its content.

© 2006 The Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health

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Note: This article is an archive. Whilst the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health has made every effort to ensure this information was accurate at the time of publication, the article content has not been updated since the date listed below.

Content updated November 28, 2006