April Campaign – World Health Day, Tuesday 7th April 2016
Tuesday 7 April is World Health Day; an important awareness event which the White Ribbon Association promotes every year.
Co-ordinated by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the date is held to mark the founding of the WHO, and is an opportunity for significant global health matters to be brought to the attention of the whole world.
The theme for 2016 is ‘Beat Diabetes’, with the goal of the campaign to increase awareness of the rise of diabetes.
Many people are unaware of the high number of calories which alcohol contains, and the impact that this can have on health and diabetes management.
- The calories in alcohol are considered to be ‘empty calories’. They have little to no nutritional value.
- Alcohol is high in sugar, and contains 7 calories per gram. This is nearly as much as pure fat!
- Our bodies aren’t designed to store alcohol so they make it a priority to remove it from the system as soon as possible. This means that normal processes such as absorbing nutrients are interrupted.
In some popular drinks, there are a surprising amount of calories:
A pint of cider (4.5% ABV) contains as many calories as a ring doughnut
A 25ml measure of spirit (40% ABV) contains as many calories as a piece of fudge
A 275ml bottle of alcopop (4% ABV) contains as many calories as half a burger
For people with diabetes, alcohol can make hypoglycaemia (low blood glucose levels) more likely to occur, especially if diabetes is treated with insulin.
The government recommends that adults shouldn’t drink more than 14 units throughout the week. The units should be spread out rather than ‘saved up’ to drink in one go, and people should aim to have several alcohol-free days a week to give the body a chance to repair itself. This advice is even more important for people managing diabetes, who should also try to have a starchy snack after drinking to help manage their blood glucose levels.
At the White Ribbon Association, our Community Health Information displays are ideal for raising awareness of important health events which affect your community, including World Health Day. Our boards can even be loaned completely free of charge! Also, our Development Officers can deliver interactive events and sessions for more in depth health promotion.
For more information, get in touch today!