ISA Launch Diabetes Awareness Campaign

14 Nov 2016 --- The International Sweeteners Association (ISA) has continued its efforts to support the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in raising awareness on diabetes prevention and management. The association is supporting World Diabetes Day with targeted and engaging materials with the scientific support of the European Specialist Dietetic Network (ESDN) for Diabetes of the European Federation of the Associations of Dietitians (EFAD).

Adhering to this year’s theme “Eyes on Diabetes”, which promotes the importance of screening for early diagnosis and treatment of type 2 diabetes in order to reduce the risk of serious complications, the ISA developed an integrated online program that communicates the importance of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.

It pushes the idea that starting with simple steps can bring towards living a healthier life to prevent or manage, type 2 diabetes and its complications.

The core of the ISA’s activity program consists of a dynamic infographic and an insightful animated video, which under the umbrella theme of “It’s easy to start with one simple step!” explain the importance of getting small, everyday choices right in order to help people live a healthier life with diabetes without complications.

The content promotes the idea that taking 5 simple steps can help towards a healthier life with diabetes, and provides science-based information on dietary and lifestyle recommendations for people with type 2 diabetes.

These 5 simple steps promoted, are:

1. Healthier eating habits

2. Being more active

3. Monitoring carbs and reducing sugars’ intake

4. Better weight management

5. Blood glucose monitoring

The fundamental aim of the ISA online campaign is also to address in a creative and informative way, the key lifestyle and dietary guidelines for people with diabetes, including the role low calorie sweeteners, can play in helping manage blood glucose levels as a safe option to enjoy sweet taste without calories and most importantly without affecting blood glucose and insulin.

Dr Aimilia Papakonstantinou, lecturer on nutrition and metabolism at the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece, and chair of the EFAD’s ESDN for Diabetes, outlined, “We have good news to share: type 2 diabetes can be preventable or even reversed if diagnosed at an early stage, and lifestyle including dietary changes are implemented.”

“Dietitians have an integral role to play in educating people how to follow the dietary guidelines and in developing an individualized nutrition therapy program for people with diabetes.”

Discussing whether low-calorie sweeteners have a role in the diet of people with diabetes, Dr Papakonstantinou highlighted in an interview that in the context of an overall healthy dietary plan, low-calorie sweeteners can be part of the diet of people with diabetes and provide them with a greater variety of sweet-tasting products with less sugars and calories, while helping them to manage sugar and energy intake.