Working together to raise awareness of diabetes

At the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) our work encompasses an enormous range of different areas including the diet-related diseases that are some of the biggest killers worldwide, such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes. We’re a small charity and so working with like-minded organisations is a great way to increase our reach.

Working in partnership with others is key to how we work, from the academics on our advisory committees who input into our programmes, to organising multidisciplinary round-table events with health professionals, academics, public health professionals and the food industry, and contributing to position statements, web content and online courses with other health charities and associations.

So, we are delighted to be supporting the Understanding Diabetes campaign, being launched today ahead of World Diabetes Day on November 14^th 2020, with partners including Diabetes UK and the International Diabetes Federation. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness of how diabetes affects people around the world, diagnosis and treatment and also how we can prevent Type 2 Diabetes.

It is estimated that there are over 12 million people in the UK who are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes but that over half of these cases could be prevented or delayed. And so millions of people could potentially avoid the severe consequences that can result from this condition, including nerve damage, kidney problems and loss of vision, as well as significantly increasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.

As an organisation with a focus on public health, preventing type 2 diabetes is a particular interest for us and is the topic of the article we wrote for the campaign publication, available in the Guardian newspaper today and online on the Health Awareness website. We know that weight loss, eating well and keeping active can significantly reduce risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But making and sustaining lifestyle changes can be hard and we need action across our society to make healthy choices easier. We hope that, by collaborating with a range of organisations and stakeholders, we can contribute to making this a reality and help everyone to access healthy, sustainable diets.