In Manitoba, from 2014-17, just over 120 thousand people had some form of diabetes.

Rhonda Slack, a registered nurse with Prairie Mountain Health, says 90 per cent are type 2 and 10 per cent are type 1.

“In the PMH region in the same years, there were approximately 17 500 people living with diabetes, or 10 per cent of the population. These are only the people who are being treated, the number is probably higher because there are people out in the region who have diabetes but haven’t been diagnosed.

Slack says type 1 diabetes isn’t preventable, but there are some ways to prevent type 2.

Eat healthily, drink water, tea, or coffee, limit or eliminate, sugary drinks like pop or juice, and exercise for 150 minutes a week.

Even if someone takes the preventative measures, they could still develop type 2 diabetes because of the risk factors.

Those risk factors are being from a family with a history of diabetes, being 40+ years old, being a member of a high-risk population like being of Aboriginal, African, Asian, or of Hispanic descent, having a history of pre-diabetes, having diabetes while the mother is pregnant, or being overweight.

It’s also possible for diabetes to go away if someone makes those lifestyle changes.

Slack says once someone is 40 years old, they should be tested for diabetes every 3 years, but if someone has the risk factors, she says they should be checked every 6 months to a year.