More than ten percent of Bermudians suffer from diabetes -- a disease whose side effects can turn into killers.

But exercise and a proper diet have now been hailed as the keys to preventing the ailment from ever taking hold.

Diabetes is a chronic condition in which the body cannot properly convert sugar and starch.

It is due to a deficiency in the production and effectiveness of the hormone insulin. If left uncontrolled, it can lead to severe eye, heart, kidney and nerve problems.

Last year, a ground-breaking survey revealed that Bermuda had a high incidence of diabetes, close to 11 percent -- higher than experts ever suspected.

The Bermuda Epidemiology Project showed that one in nine adults, over the age of 18 have diabetes.

In the 35-64 age group, 12 percent or almost one in eight have diabetes and in the 65 plus age group, almost one in three women and one in five men have diabetes.

Some 1,066 locals were interviewed for the study and 999 completed both an interview and clinic visit.

Debbie Jones of the Diabetes Centre at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital said strides have been made in the battle against the disease in the year since the historic study was released.

"We have come forward in the sense that we have made a greater impact on the community taking diabetes seriously.'' And she said that researchers, following the progress of locals at risk of developing the disease, have noticed that exercise plays a vital role in combating diabetes.

"With the Epidemiology study, we identified a number of people who were at risk of developing diabetes,'' Mrs. Jones explained. "Some of those people agreed to take part in a study and over the last year we have noticed that those who have been exercising regularly have improved blood pressure and cholesterol readings and have not developed diabetes.

"Those who haven't been following a regime, their blood tests are not as good.'' Although the ten-year study has only completed its first year, Mrs. Jones said that the initial results show that increased physical exercise was the key to defeating diabetes.

"Exercise is critical,'' she insisted. "You can't tackle it if you don't exercise. A lot of people don't exercise enough.

"The body is a machine and it has to be used every day.'' On Thursday a public meeting will be held at the Number One Shed at 7 p.m. to educate locals on how they can avoid developing diabetes.

"This is for people who may be at risk of developing it and for those who may not even know that they are at risk,'' Mrs. Jones explained. "We will have a panel discussing exercise, why it is so important to eat right. "They will also talk about antioxidants, what they are, the fact that they are found in fruits and vegetables and that they protect people from disease and builds up their immune system.

"Diabetes is a public health problem. It is really serious and it is increasing.'' And Mrs. Jones recommended that people get tested for diabetes more often.

"Anyone over the age of 45 should be tested once every three years,'' she said. "If anyone has any of the risk factors, like being over weight and not exercising, they should get tested every year.

"If it is discovered early, something can be done before complications set in.''