Could you have silent diabetes? How to spot the signs and eat well regardless

Have you been feeling a bit more tired than usual for no reason? Maybe you’re drinking plenty of water but you’re constantly thirsty. Or it might be that you’re having to make more trips to the toilet, even through the night.

You might have lost some weight, too, although you haven’t changed your diet or started running marathons. But you’ve dropped some kilos regardless. And you keep meaning to book an appointment with your optometrist because you’ve noticed your vision becoming a little blurry, but you’re putting that down to getting older …

Any of these seemingly insignificant changes could actually be a sign that you are one of the estimated 100,000 New Zealanders living with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.

Nearly half a billion people worldwide have diabetes, according to a global study by the University of Michigan and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in the US. The study also found that only one in 10 people receive comprehensive care to help reduce diabetes-related health problems.

In some cases, people don’t receive care because they aren’t even aware they have a condition that can silently but steadily lead to a raft of serious health problems.

Eating well with diabetes

The good