The FINANCIAL -- Bayer HealthCare sponsors the 6th Junior Cup Diabetes between August 24 and 26, 2012 in the Olympic Stadium of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Children from twelve countries will join the finals of the international football championship which this year has been organized under the auspices of the French football champion Christian Karembeu. As Bayer AG reported, this initiative aims to raise awareness of the benefit of regular exercise to the chronic metabolic disease.

“The Junior Cup Diabetes gives children the chance to meet other boys and girls from all other countries who live with the chronic disease,” Michael Kloss, Head of Diabetes Care Europe at Bayer HealthCare explains. “This helps the young patients to recognize that they are not alone with their condition and that they can live an almost normal live, play football and have fun – just as any other kid.”

The Junior Cup Diabetes is an annual football tournament for boys and girls with Type 1 diabetes between the age of eight and twelve. The event is organized by Bayer HealthCare’s partner Medtronic, a leading provider of insulin pumps. The finalists were determined beforehand in national tournaments.

Being diagnosed with diabetes is a challenging experience, especially for children and their families.

However, they should soon learn that they do not need to stop all of their normal day-to-day activities, such as school sport, swimming or playing in a football team. According to the International Diabetes Federation, regular exercise can be seen as the third essential component in blood glucose regulation after insulin and dietary management. General fitness, a sense of well-being and the psycho-social aspects of group participation are seen as additional benefits.

Children with diabetes should be encouraged to exercise, as it helps them to de-stress and to grow in confidence. Whether it is a team sport like football, a solo activity or an outdoor adventure, planning is the key. Blood glucose levels can drop during or after exercise so people with the metabolic disorder have to take special care and control their blood glucose level regularly.

Health care professionals can help to prepare for all the requirements and get ready to manage a child’s care with ease. The ISPAD Clinical Practice Consensus Guideline on Exercise in Children and Adolescents with Diabetes provides detailed discussions and information about the effects of exercise and the recommendations for insulin and carbohydrate adjustment and blood glucose control together with a comprehensive reference list.

Worldwide, approximately 490,100 children under 15 years are living with type 1 diabetes, 24 percent come from the European Region. With 77,800 worldwide additionally diagnosed cases each year(4), numbers are even rising in many countries.

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