Diabetes is a major health issue for Aboriginal people in Central Australia and throughout remote Australia. Recent research in the UK has shown that the increase in diabetes in societies around the world is virtually entirely reversible through changes in diet. There is a massive opportunity for reversing the damage done to health through diet in the Northern Territory.
In this podcast, Dr Justin Coleman (GP-writer) interviews Professor Mike Lean (Chair of Human Nutrition, Medicine, University of Glasgow) who is an expert on metabolic syndrome. Prof Lean is the co-leader of the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), which showed that substantial weight loss leads to remission of type 2 diabetes. He advises that eating less by using whatever diet you can sustain is a better way to lose weight than worrying about dietary composition, and exercise may be good for you but it’s unlikely to reduce much of your weight.
Prof Lean and Dr Coleman recently took part in the No Cola Just Fun Tour. Tour participants experienced working within the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector, learnt about the social determinants of health and of essential self-care whilst living in very remote areas of Australia. Engagement with the communities was enhanced whilst performing with various community musicians and residents.
