According to Diabetes Australia, as of 2024, 2 million Australians are living with diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes, and many more at high risk.
On this edition of Wellbeing, we explore what diabetes is, what it does to the body and the mind, and what can be done to treat and prevent the disease.
Prof. Shamasunder Acharya is from the University of Newcastle’s School of Medicine and Public Health, and the lead in the Diabetes Alliance Program which has led to improved outcomes for several thousands of people with diabetes.
Prof Shamasunder Acharya
Although your blood glucose level is high, it cannot be transported across the blood vessels into the cells because the insulin is not enough to open the gates.
Therefore, what happens, body organs suffer from some kind of malnutrition. At the same time, blood vessels are getting damaged from elevated glucose.