Diabetes epidemic in Canada

Canada is the site of a silently growing epidemic. Diabetes, an insidious disease that affects blood sugar levels and can lead to a variety of deadly complications, is running wild in Canada. According to recent reports, someone is diagnosed with the disease once every eight minutes in Ontario.
Both type 1 and type 2 diabetes are becoming more and more prevalent in Canada. Type 2 diabetes accounts for some 90 per cent of diagnoses. Type 2 tends to develop in adulthood and is directly linked to obesity .
In Ontario, some 850,000 people have been diagnosed with diabetes, accounting for some $2 billion in annual healthcare spend. Unfortunately, all indications are that the disease is about to soar in prevalence due to an ageing population, higher obesity levels, and more immigration from populations that are at a higher risk of diabetes.
The disease is often driven by poor lifestyle choices, including junk food, a particularly bad problem in Canada. Type 2 diabetes is also becoming increasingly common amongst children. Reversing the epidemic will need a sustained awareness campaign, including screening.