High number of fast-food restaurants contributing to increasing rate of diabetes in Mississauga [Video]

The proliferation of fast-food restaurants and fewer opportunities to exercise are among the reasons why Mississauga residents have a higher rate of type 2 diabetes compared to other parts of Ontario.

That is according to the City of Mississauga which has announced a new strategy meant to reduce the risk factors associated with diabetes.

Diabetes is a serious medical condition that affects the way the body regulates and uses sugar as a fuel. This long-term (chronic) condition results in too much sugar circulating in the bloodstream. It can lead to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness and amputations.

“The prevalence rates of type 2 diabetes in most neighbourhoods in Mississauga ranges from 13 to 16.9 per cent. These rates are significantly higher than the Ontario average of 9.8 per cent,” according to information supplied by the City of Mississauga.

Recent health data shows that about 53.6 per cent of Peel …