The Diabetes Youth Care of Ghana, Sonia Nabeta Foundation of Uganda and the Global Advocacy organization T1International organized a diabetes camp and advocacy training for children living with diabetes in Africa.

Thanks to the generous support of T1International.

Omolade Onafowokan represented The Nigeria Diabetes Online Community (NGDoc) on an all expense paid trip  to Accra Ghana courtesy T1International and domestic support from NGdoc.

The diabetes advocacy training has already been yeilding results as Omolade has embarked on a project which aims at creating diabetes awareness among young school children “Catch them young”

According to an article sent to us by Omolade:

Many people lack knowledge about diabetes in Nigeria and awareness through diabetes education can reduce discrimination among peers and other people in Nigeria.

After the diabetes advocacy training that took place at Ghana, I went to schools in my community to give a health talk about diabetes education. I realized that diabetes is easier to ignore, if you don’t have first hand fact and initiative. Some people lack diabetes education and this brings about misconception about diabetes.

Increase diabetes awareness and education will undoubtedly help to reduce the health complication; Diabetes education program can enlighten and motivate a community as a whole.

On the 21, September 2018. I visited schools in my locality to talk to the students and staff about diabetes because I personally saw diabetes education as a way of helping individuals with diabetes, pre-diabetes to understand the importance of blood sugar, sign and symptoms of  hypoglycemia management of diabetes, healthy eating habits life style etc.

I also observed that diabetes education is a means of setting solid foundation for better diabetes care, it is designed to provides individual with necessary skills and knowledge for successful diabetes management into their daily life because the ailment goes beyond families.

In addition, it allows people to engage in their own health as a means of putting what they have learnt into action.

In conclusion, diabetes education among student will help to reduce misconception discrimination among peers and it will give maximum effectiveness. 

Omolade Onakowokan

We wish Omolade the very best in her endeavors and we wish to specially thank TiInternational who made her flight, accommodation and training possible.

Are you a young Nigerian child living with diabetes and you wish to reach out to us. Follow us on our social media platforms Twitter and Instagram: @theNGdoc; Click to join our Facebook and whatsapp groups

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Prof. Isaac Adewole, Nigeria’s health minister has recently inaugurated the National Steering Committee for the Diabetes Awareness and Care Project (DAC) in Abuja.

At the inauguration, he said the federal government was committed to safeguarding the health of Nigerians and improving diabetes care in the country.

He said: “The Non Communicable Disease Division of the Federal Ministry of Health in Collaboration with the Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation (HSDF), with the support from the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), has embarked on this project, which will first be implemented in two states of the country namely FCT and Imo Sates,” he added .

Adewole said the aim was to increase diabetes awareness and improve the two way referral state between Imo state and the Federal Capital territory.

He emphasized that “the finalization of the National Guideline for prevention and control of diabetes in Nigeria which took place earlier this month is an integral part of this project”

“It is expected that the Guideline will ensure standardized protocol for medical care and patient self – management education to prevent acute complication and reduce the risk of long term complications among Nigerians living with the disease”.

Adewole said that the project was to last for three years- from 2018 to 2021. He also commended the World Diabetes Foundation and Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation for the support and efforts to ensure the project becomes a reality.

In his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, FMOH, Mr. Abdallahi Mashi, who was represented by the Director, Public Health, Dr. Evelyn Ngige, said that the prevalence of diabetes in Nigeria was increasing with current WHO figures estimates at 3.4 per cent, while local studies carried out by researchers have figures from 3-10 per cent.

This is a step in the right direction and we hope it improves diabetes awareness and gets proper implementation.

The keto diet, favoured by Kim K , has become increasingly popular in the Nigerian space for a few years now . In a recent report by researchers in the Journal of Physiology, keto diet is said to be linked with an increasing risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Keto diet became popular for its perceived ability to cause weight loss and reverse type 2 diabetes but ironically, a study by ETH Zurich and University Children’s Hospital Zurich found that this low carb but high fat diet contributes to insulin resistance, making it difficult for the body to respond to normal level of insulin, increasing the blood glucose level and causing your pancreas to get to do more work.

Insulin is an hormone released into the blood by the pancreas and used to control blood sugar levels , it also signals the liver to stop producing sugar. If this mechanism is impaired, the liver would no longer respond and would continue sugar production. This is called insulin resistance.

This increased risk was noticed during the early stage of the diet, according to the study which compared different diets; a high fat diet and a ketogenic diet in two groups of lab mice.

Keto diet was invented in the 1920s as a way to cure epilepsy.

The difference between keto diet and regular low carb diet is that it restricts both carbohydrate and protein intake instead of just carbohydrate intake. It is said to create a lower insulin environment and ultimately reduce fat stores.

Researchers however say more research has to be done in this area.

Source : Eurekalert

LATE-NIGHT snacking can be very indulging but not only does it increase our waist lines, it affects our sleep.

It also puts us at risk of diseases such as diabetes and increases the level of the stress hormone cortisol in our bodies.

Here’s why you should ditch the habit. 

Our bodies crave high-sugar, high-fat and high-salt foods, with typical late-night snack foods including fizzy drinks, juice, chocolate, ice cream and alcohol, some people even take major heavy meals like ‘a bowl of rice’ or ‘eba’ late in the night.

It can be a really difficult habit to stop especially in urban areas like Lagos where heavy traffic might cause you to get in late hungry and necessarily need to eat.

Drinking alcohol also makes us more likely to make bad food choices and indulge our cravings for greasy takeaway food such as deep fried chicken, chips and pizza.

Here are five reasons you should give up the bad habit of snacking before bedtime.

Weight gain

Eating in the hours just before we go to sleep leaves us little time to burn off those extra calories. We eat and then head on to bed without having to use the food for any activity and so we get to store up fat. There is a significant relationship between late-night snacking and a higher body fat percentage.

Impaired hormone response

This is a disturbing effect of late night eating over a long period of time.  Eating late at night can reduce the ability of insulin to remove glucose from the blood.

Over a prolonged period of time, late-night eating may lead to an increased risk of diabetes.

Poor sleep

Eating or drinking just before bedtime can negatively affect your sleep quality and quantity, There is a significant association between high intakes of sugary foods and caffeine before bed and poor slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) stages of sleep.

Your body spends some of the energy it needs to help repair the worn out body tissues to digest your ingested food. Taking alcohol at night can also cause you to be sleepy the next day.

Increased food intake the following day

Ironically, eating a big meal late at night doesn’t mean you will consume less the next day. You’ll want to eat more!

Eating late at night may enhance the amount of food you consume the following day due to the impaired insulin response and poor blood sugar control leaving you feeling hungrier overall

Increased cortisol

Interestingly, researchers have found a link between eating late at night and higher levels of the stress hormone, cortisol. As well as being an overall health hazard, high levels of cortisol in the body pose a risk factor for increased abdominal fat.

The findings may also suggest that the more stressed individuals are, the more likely they are to eat late at night rather than earlier on in the day.

To break the habit of late-night snacking, its good to eat a balanced dinner with a focus on protein to keep us fuller for long, and de-stressing with a bath, a walk or a movie to give ourselves time to wind down from the day.

Everyone is different, identify your own triggers for late night eating and avoid them. If you can’t, then you can get healthier snacks options e.g bananas, an apple, greek yoghurt , carrots or even water!