In Tunisia, diabetes affects 21% of the population, driven largely by obesity, which affects 26% of adults and 17% of children. Heredity, a lack of physical activity, and excess sugar and fat complete the picture. Half of those affected don’t even know it: spotting the signs and adjusting your plate remains the best prevention.
Why does diabetes affect so many adults in Tunisia?
Half of those living with diabetes don’t know it, because this “silent disease” progresses without obvious symptoms.
In Tunisia, diabetes prevalence now stands at 21% of the population, across all types, both type 1 and type 2. This figure is largely explained by the weight of obesity, which affects 26% of adults and now extends to children too, with a rate of 17% nationwide. Heredity, a lack of physical activity, an unbalanced lifestyle, and excessive consumption of sugary and fatty foods add to the picture.
What makes the disease particularly formidable is its stealth. Half of those living with diabetes don’t know it, because this “silent disease” progresses without obvious symptoms. Diagnosis then comes late, once the disease has already taken hold, which delays treatment and the prevention of complications accordingly.
Type 1 or type 2 diabetes: how can you tell them apart?
Diabetes mellitus breaks down into three main forms: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and gestational diabetes. Each stems from its own mechanism, even though all three disrupt blood sugar regulation.
Type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or T1D, arises from a deficiency in insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. It is mostly identified in young children, teenagers, and young adults, which sets it apart from type 2 diabetes right from the start.
Insulin made in Tunisia: what does the new biosimilar offer?
MédiS, a player in Tunisia's pharmaceutical industry, has launched Glargine, a biosimilar of the insulin of the same name. It is the first biosimilar ever produced in Tunisia, as well as in Africa and the Arab world. It complies with current legislation and meets international manufacturing standards at every level.
This treatment, prescribed only by doctors, is manufactured locally. For people living with diabetes, it opens up a new prospect, notably thanks to its availability.
What simple kitchen habits can lower your risk of diabetes?
Diabetes stems from several compounding factors: heredity, obesity, lack of physical activity, an unbalanced lifestyle, and excessive consumption of sugar and fat. Among these levers, weight remains one of the most actionable in the kitchen: losing ten kilograms can cut the risk of diabetes by up to 30%. Rethinking the amount of sugar and fat in everyday meals then becomes a concrete step, within everyone's reach.
It is also worth staying alert to signs of blood sugar imbalance: hypoglycaemia, sudden hunger, snacking, prediabetes, or diabetes all sit on the same spectrum of vigilance. Eating a highly concentrated sugar triggers an artificial surge of energy that the body cannot burn off, which makes it dangerous. In the kitchen, it is better to rely on steady, measured eating than on sugary jolts.
Preventing diabetes often starts long before the doctor’s office, right in the kitchen and in daily habits: losing a few kilograms, moving more, and cutting excess sugar and fat are levers within everyone’s reach, without waiting for a symptom to act. Faced with a disease that progresses silently, regular screening often makes it possible to get ahead of it before it takes hold.
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