MANY Bermudians are totally unaware they are suffering from a condition which is damaging their bodies day by day.

That is the view of Debbie Jones, co-ordinator of the Diabetes Centre, who is urging allcomers to take advantage of free blood sugar testing at the Collectors Hill Apothecary this week.

Ms Jones, who has been involved in Bermuda's contribution to a major international study on diabetes, said she had been shocked by its findings so far.

"It's unbelievable the number of people being diagnosed with diabetes when they had no clue whatsoever that they had it," said Ms Jones.

"Some of them could have been walking around for five years with it and a high level of blood sugar causes damage to the body, so the sooner it's detected the better. So all screenings like the one we're holding at the weekend are very important."

Food is broken down by the body into a sugar called glucose and diabetes causes blood glucose levels to rise above normal. Over the years, high blood glucose damages nerves and blood vessels, leading to serious health problems such as blindness, heart and kidney disease, nerve problems, gum infections and occasionally amputations.

More than 8,000 people in Bermuda are known to be suffering from diabetes, around one in eight of the population.

The condition can be treated with insulin shots or medicines, changes in diet and an increase in exercise.

The increasing incidence of the disease was largely down to lifestyle and nutrition factors, Ms Jones believed.

And she added that Bermuda should be thankful for its lack of global fast food chain restaurants because their products were one of the main factors behind the world-wide escalation of diabetes.

"There is a global epidemic of diabetes," she said. "I think fast food has had an unbelieveable effect on increasing the incidence of diabetes and heart disease.

"When you see the line outside Kentucky Fried Chicken on a Friday night going halfway down Queen Street, we should think ourselves lucky we don't have more of the big chains here like McDonald's and Wendy's.

"Also our lifestyle has changed so dramatically in a short number of years. Most things people do now involve sitting down."

Health testing is nothing new at the Phoenix Group of stores, with blood pressure and cholesterol tests having been carried out recently.

Pauline Girling, head of marketing and communications for Phoenix Stores, said: "We are delighted to team up with the Diabetes Centre to raise awareness of this disease.

"Taking the testing into the store brings it into an area where people feel comfortable. When you think of going to the doctor's for a test, it's always easy to think of 20 different reasons why you can't do it today."

A tag day will be held in association with the tests, the proceeds going to help children suffering juvenile diabetes to attend the Joslin Centre camp in Boston.

Blood sugar and cholesterol testing will take place at the Collectors Hill Apothecary between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. tomorrow.

Being overweight and inactive increases the risk of type two diabetes which commonly develops in older people and which will be the principal detection target of Saturday's tests.