2024-05-06 05:07:15
“This campaign focuses on added sugar. The aim is not to ban them, because it doesn’t work. Rather, the aim is to limit and reduce by making the population aware that added sugar is everywhere and that we eat too much compared to what the body can tolerate” : Aurélie Giger, new director of the Diabetesvaudforeningen since January 2024, emphasizes the importance of information and awareness with a view to better knowledge, a method that works more than morality, in his eyes.
We couldn’t agree more. Stroke, obesity, high cholesterol, cancer and cavities, we know that excessive consumption of sugar increases the risk of disease. Diabetes remains one of the main consequences.
Although treatments for type 1, 2 and gestational diabetes have improved significantly over the last ten years, the number of people affected is still increasing exponentially on a global scale.
In Switzerland, too, the figures are worrying. In accordance statistics shared by the Diabetesvaudforeningen, the country of 8.8 million inhabitants has no less than 500,000 diabetics. A curve that rises steeply, with 5,000 new cases per year. The canton of Vaud alone has 50,000.
A campaign that extends to German-speaking Switzerland
The ratio between type 1 and type 2 diabetes is 10%, or 40,000 people with type 1, and 90%, or 460,000 people with type 2. To conclude with the numbers, 5 to 20% of adults have type 2 diabetes, while 10 to 15% of pregnancies lead to gestational diabetes.
“A third of people who have diabetes don’t know it,” notes Aurélie Giger, remembering that a large number of organs can be affected: the eyes, feet, kidneys, liver, pancreas and everything related to the cardiovascular system.
Even today, the specter of diabetes generates false beliefs that confine it to the status of the fruit of the deadly sins of gluttony and sloth. It is obviously much more complicated than it seems. We saw this recently in an article published in April 2024 in the 24 hours, type 1 diabetes is exploding among children. An outbreak that specialists cannot clearly explain.
Within reach, added sugar is no less manageable.
“It is already very good to drastically reduce sugary drinks, such as lemonades and soft drinks,” says the director of Diabetesvaud. By favoring home-made food over industrial food, we also reduce the consumption of added sugar considerably.
“Getting into the habit of reading labels is also wise, so you realize that added sugar is everywhere, even in mustard.”
Building on the success of the first edition in 2023, the MAYbe Less Sugar campaign is gaining momentum by expanding into German-speaking Switzerland. “In May 2023, almost 7,000 people took part in the campaign, the majority reporting a reduction in their consumption thanks to the calculator available on the app,” the director rejoices.
On the program for its many activities, the campaign is enriched with a scientific conference on sugar, tours, tastings of ice cream with less sugar and interactive stands. After dry January, it’s time for the delicious sugar-free month of May.
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