Every 10 seconds someone in the world dies from Diabetes, every 10 seconds two more people develop Diabetes according to recently released figures from the International Diabetes Federation.

The Federation states that diabetes is rising in both men and women. It is rising dramatically in youth and also threatening to decimate indigenous populations.

This should be a huge concern for small youthful Pacific Island populations such as Tonga, Samoa, Niue and Cook Islands which have among the highest prevalence rates of Type 2 Diabetes in the world.

In the Oceanic region diabetes affects 12-20% if the population. This means Pacific communities bear a greater burden than many other nations. Counties Manukau is a regional hotspot with 29,000 people with diabetes and the highest rate of diabetes and obesity in New Zealand.

The disease claims as many lives per year as HIV/AIDS and places severe burden on families, communities and healthcare systems and national productivity.

Diabetes is a now global epidemic with devastating human, social and economic consequences.

The burden includes: physical impacts of the disease and its complications (restricted diet, possible blindness, foot disease, limb amputation and/or kidney failure); economic costs such as time off work and study, reduced job opportunities, losing jobs because of illness, lower ability to support families; and often emotional costs of depression, grief and despair. In previous years Type 2 Diabetes was considered a disease of the elderly. Now the condition is prevalent in much younger groups affecting people in their most productive years.

Prevention is the only realistic way to slow the rate at which diabetes is increasing and to lessen the impact of diabetes upon the quality of life of those currently living with the disease.

Early intervention and the avoidance or delay of progression to Type 2 Diabetes is of enormous benefit to patients in terms of increasing life expectancy and quality of life, and potentially in economic terms for society and health-care payers.

The ways of reducing the risk of Type 2 Diabetes include getting regular exercise, at least 30 minutes for adults and one hour for children every day, eating plenty of vegetables, limiting red meat to three times a week and keeping serving sizes down to the palm-sized, drinking plenty of water and limiting the amount of saturated fats and energy dense foods such as takeaways and fried foods, fizzy drinks and confectionery.