Lorraine. Diabé'tonic in Nancy: it's so simple to eat better and move more

Organized annually by the regional branch of the French Diabetics Association (AFD Lorraine), Diabé'tonic will take place this Saturday, September 6, at Place Charles-III in Nancy. This 2025 edition is no exception. As usual, the focus will be on the prevention and screening of type 1 and 2 diabetes.

In France, as throughout the world, the diabetes epidemic is a major concern for health authorities. The condition has increased dramatically in recent decades. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the proportion of the global population with diabetes (over 90% type 2) has increased from 108 million people in 1980 to over 800 million today.

The WHO estimates that, without rapid and concerted action, this figure could reach 853 million by 2050. The human cost is considerable. But it is also economic. In 2024, according to the International Diabetes Federation's (IDF) 2025 Atlas, "direct health expenditures related to diabetes exceeded one trillion dollars, or 875 billion euros, for the first time for adults aged 20 to 79." In France, expenditures related to this disease amounted to more than 10 billion euros in 2023.

The IDF estimates that 11.1% of the adult population (20-79 years old) lives with diabetes, or one in nine people, and that more than four in ten individuals are unaware of their condition. In France, in 2022, more than 4 million people were affected. A contingent that could be increased by 500,000 by 2027. The main cause of this expansion of type 2 diabetes is our lifestyles. Sedentary lifestyle, high-calorie diet, consumption of ultra-processed products , smoking , alcoholism… make up the explosive cocktail and the royal road to overweight, obesity and multiple pathologies, including diabetes. Environmental, social and hereditary factors will amplify the toxicity of these behaviors.

This is why Diabé'tonic intends to focus once again this year on nutrition and the possibility of eating healthily without breaking the bank. "Adopting good eating habits is an effective prevention strategy to reduce the risks of developing the disease," say Danielle Durain, medical coordinator DAC-54 ETP (Therapeutic Patient Education) pole and vice-president of AFD Lorraine, and Christiane Petit, diabetic patient expert at AFD Lorraine. Danielle Durain hammers home the obvious year after year: "Prevention involves exercise and healthy eating." It is therefore necessary to lighten up and get help, if necessary, to develop a therapeutic strategy.

Today, the programs exist. They will be presented in full on September 6. A nutritionist will be present at the AFD and the Coordination Support System (DAC) stands for complex pathways. It will be one of the steps in a comprehensive program that includes information on diabetes, screening, a test for the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and sharing solutions to combat inertia, such as adapted activity (Adapta'Move). The event will begin at 10 a.m. and will be accessible... on foot or by bike.