Preventing diabetes and heart disease in the workplace

Diabetes happens when the body has difficulty producing enough insulin or using it efficiently. Insulin is essential to enable glucose, the body’s main source of energy, to enter cells and be converted into energy. If insulin is insufficient or absent, blood glucose levels rise (hyperglycemia) and, in the medium to long term, cause damage to many tissues, including blood vessels, eyes, nerves, heart and kidneys. In the most severe cases, a lack of glucose in the cells can lead to serious complications, such as diabetic coma or hypoglycemic coma.

Diabetes falls into three main types:

• Type 1 diabetes, caused by the inability of the pancreas to produce enough insulin (9% of all cases)
• Type 2 diabetes, much more common (90% of all cases), caused either by insufficient insulin production in the pancreas, or by poor use of this insulin (resistance) by the tissues
• Gestational diabetes (1% of all cases), diagnosed around the end of the second trimester of pregnancy, and which can persist (unrecognized prior diabetes) or disappear after childbirth

While type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease with a genetic origin, type 2 diabetes is most often associated with obesity and other poor lifestyle habits, and therefore linked with factors that can be changed.

Cardiovascular disease affects the heart and circulatory system. The most common cause is a buildup of cholesterol plaque on the blood vessel walls. This plaque can restrict blood flow to the heart, leading to a heart attack (infarction).

An estimated 10% of Canadians are living with diabetes, while 6% have prediabetes, a condition that increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. About 40% of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are under the age of 65, typically the age of retirement. As a result, nearly one worker in 20 has prediabetes or type 2 diabetes.[1]

More than 8% of Canadians have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. Between the ages of 40 and 59, twenty percent of people have levels of cholesterol that are harmful to their health.[2]

In addition to age and certain genetic factors, cardiovascular disease and diabetes largely share the same risk factors:

• Obesity and overweightness
• Physical inactivity
• Unhealthy diet
• Alcohol abuse
• Smoking
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol

These two chronic illnesses are very costly for employers:[2]

• Cardiovascular disease is one of the top five conditions leading to disability in the workplace.
• Heart disease and stroke are the main reasons for using prescription drugs.
• Employees with diabetes are absent from work two to 10 days more each year than non-diabetic employees.
• Diabetes alone accounts for 8.5% of insurance claims at Sunlife.

These figures do not include costs related to absenteeism, presenteeism (reduced productivity), loss of expertise when replacing experienced employees, and more.

Diabetes and the major cardiovascular diseases are the result of factors that can be changed. This means that employers can play a role in raising awareness among employees of the risks of developing these chronic diseases, and in preventing and managing them.

Supplement your corporate health and wellness program with workshops and training. The team at Biron Health at Work can help you by organizing activities to suit your needs.

Despite the availability of plenty of information, many workers (and managers) are poorly informed about diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Educating and informing employees about the risk factors and complications of these two illnesses is the foundation of awareness. Information is readily available, in particular from the Canadian Diabetes Association.

Screening is one of the most effective ways to raise awareness. Knowing that you are at increased risk of developing diabetes or cardiovascular disease is a powerful tool. Measures that can be taken in the workplace, such as questionnaires on family history and lifestyle habits, weight gain or blood pressure, can be supplemented by testing glucose or cholesterol levels using a drop of blood taken from the fingertip (refer to Express and Elite blood tests from Biron Corporate Health).

Prevention and support are often based on the same principles: Knowing, developing and maintaining good lifestyle habits. This includes:

• Raising awareness of the specific problems linked with smoking and excessive alcohol consumption
• Promoting exercise programs for employees
• Ensuring the availability of healthy food in the cafeteria or vending machines
• Implementing schedules that reconcile occupational demands with treating illness

In these times of skilled labour shortages, it is becoming increasingly clear that employers keen to retain their talented staff are actively involved in preventing these two diseases, actions that can easily be implemented in the workplace. Preventing diabetes and cardiovascular disease is not only good for the health of employees, but also good for business!