It's National diabetes week and Diabetes Queensland is working closely with the mining sector to raise awareness of the condition.
The numbers surround the instance of diabetes in Queensland alone are surprising with 60 Queenslanders diagnosed with type 2 diabetes every day.
Type 2 diabetes is directly linked to obesity and the impact can be extremely debilitating.
Diabetes Queensland says about 300,000 Queenslanders have diabetes and that number is rising at an alarming rate and it's preventable.
The group says while there are 23,000 new cases diagnosed each year in Queensland and it is believed there could be another 23,000 who have it but do not know.
The CEO of Diabetes Queensland Michelle Trute says the focus this year is on miners.
She says three quarters of workers in the mining industry are overweight and therefore at risk of type 2 diabetes.
"Diabetes is the fastest growing non-infectious disease globally, so this is a disease that we have to start getting really serious about."
Ms Trute says they've already started two pilot projects with mining companies Macarthur Coal and New Hope Coal.
She says they're taking a two-pronged approach to the issue, targeting both miners and the coal companies themselves.
"We spend time educating the employer as well as the employee, so they can actually tackle them both together."
"So we're finding that a lot of workplaces are actually taking the bull by the horns because they recognise that unhealthy workers take on average 18 days annual sick leave while healthy workers only take two."
"Anything that's actually making a difference to their bottom line they're going to actually listen to and that's where the mining sector is going to be a lot smarter coming forward."
John Rogers works at a coal mine owned by Anglo Coal in Central Queensland and has type 2 diabetes.
He says he has really concentrated on his exercise program to keep the condition stable.
"My big thing is exercise, last year I did the Brisbane to Gold Coast 60 kilometre ride and this year I did a team event at the Mooloolaba triathlon."
Mr Rogers is urging everyone to be aware of the disease and the risk factors because it could happen to anyone.
"If they're leading that lifestyle of lots of food, no exercise and lots of alcohol on top of the lots of food and if they're getting a big chubby then they're going to get it."
"My doctor snuck up on me and made me get a blood test so that's how I found out."
Michelle Trute says what people must take on board is that diabetes can lead to other conditions.
"Diabetes is the gate-keeper to other chronic diseases, so lets turn diabetes around and that will also have a ripple effect onto heart disease and all the others." Read More
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