Long-term conditions · 5 min read · Updated October 2026
Living well with type 2 diabetes
Diabetes is rising fast across Africa. Everyday habits, regular checks and a doctor you can reach make the difference.
Clinician review pending This article is awaiting sign-off by a doctor.
Type 2 diabetes means the body cannot control sugar in the blood well. More than half of Africans with diabetes have not been diagnosed, often until a complication appears. Early control protects your eyes, kidneys, nerves, heart and feet.
Signs to check for
Passing urine often, especially at night; unusual thirst; tiredness; blurred vision; slow-healing sores; repeated skin or genital infections; or losing weight without trying. A simple finger-prick test at a pharmacy or clinic can confirm it.
Food
You do not need special foods. Fill half the plate with vegetables, a quarter with beans, fish, eggs or lean meat, and a quarter with starch (rice, yam, cassava, maize, plantain), in a smaller portion than you may be used to. Choose whole grains where you can. Avoid sugary drinks, including fruit juice and sweetened tea; water is best. Spread meals through the day rather than one large meal.
Movement and weight
Thirty minutes of brisk walking most days lowers blood sugar and blood pressure. Losing even 5% of body weight helps.
Medicines and checks
Metformin is the usual first tablet and is safe and inexpensive. Some people need other tablets or insulin; that is not a failure, it is the condition progressing. Check your feet daily for cuts or sores. Have your eyes checked every year and your kidneys (a urine and blood test) at least yearly. Keep blood pressure and cholesterol controlled as well; these matter as much as sugar.
Warning signs
Go to a hospital if you are very drowsy or confused, breathing deeply and fast, vomiting repeatedly, or have a foot wound that is spreading, smelly or black. If you take insulin or certain tablets and feel shaky, sweaty or confused, take sugar immediately (sweet drink, glucose, sugar cubes), then eat.
How Telafia can help
Regular video reviews, prescription renewals and help adjusting medicines can all happen remotely, with tests done at a local lab or pharmacy.
Emergency numbers
767 works in Lagos State; 112 is the national number. Numbers change: please check locally. If a number does not connect, go straight to the nearest hospital.
Related doctors
Questions about this? A internal medicine doctor can help today.