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• Diabetes Facts & Stats
• Diabetes Project Ideas
• Diabetes Resources

Diabetes Stats

• More than two million Canadians have diabetes.
• If you’ve been diagnosed you’re lucky—a third of people with diabetes don’t know they have it.
• There are 60,000 new cases of diabetes recorded every year.
• Aboriginal people are 3 to 5 times more likely to have diabetes than other Canadians.
• 90% of Canadians with diabetes have type 2
• 10% of Canadians with diabetes have type 1
• Americans are 95% more afraid of being in a plane crash, getting bitten by a snake, hit by lighting or attacked by a shark than they are of being diagnosed with a disease such as diabetes. (Even though having diabetes is far more likely!)

Diabetes Reality Check

Myth	Reality
X You can catch diabetes.	Diabetes isn’t contagious! It may be genetic, and lifestyle plays a role in type 2, but we don’t really know what causes it.
X Diabetes is caused by eating too much sugar.	Being overweight increases your risk for type 2 diabetes, but diabetes is not a result of too much sugar.
X People with diabetes can’t have sugary foods.	Sweets and desserts can be part of a healthy meal plan when combined with proper diabetes management.
X People with diabetes are more likely to get sick.	Diabetes doesn’t increase your risk of getting a cold or the flu, but when you do get sick it can affect your blood glucose levels, so it’s a good idea to get a flu shot.
X Insulin causes weight gain	The benefit of insulin to your health and diabetes management is far greater than any risk of weight gain.

Facts About Insulin

• Nobel Prize winner Frederick Banting has been named one of the top ten greatest Canadians ever for discovering insulin.
• Banting discovered insulin in 1921 and conducted the first human trials of it on a 14-year-old Toronto teen, Leonard Thompson, in 1922.
• Instead of profiting from his discovery, Banting and his research team sold the rights to insulin to the University of Toronto for $1 to ensure it would remain affordable for everyone who needs it.

Facts About Diabetes Risk Factors
Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, and the exact cause of it remains unknown. You’re considered more at a higher risk for type 2 diabetes if you are:

• Old (40+)
• Of Aboriginal, Hispanic, Asian, South Asian or African descent
• Overweight
• Related to a parent, brother or sister with diabetes
• Experiencing complications of diabetes
• Suffering from certain conditions (eg. impaired glucose tolerance, high blood pressure and high cholesterol)

Nick Jonas and Bayer team
up to fight diabetes

Pop star Nick Jonas sees his type 1 diabetes as an opportunity instead of an obstacle. Now he's teamed up with Bayer to help young people with diabetes achieve their simple wins - and live their dreams.

	Yes - they all know!
	Most of them know
	Only my closest friends know
	I don't like talking about it

Are you managing your diabetes?

1. Do you check your blood glucose level as many times a day as your doctor recommends you should? (Question 1 of 5)

Yes
No