Main Category: Diabetes
Also Included In: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
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The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the UK has increased by more than 150,000 to 2.8 million in the past year, warns leading health charity Diabetes UK today.
The data, collected from GP practices, also show the nationwide figure of people registered as obese to have risen to over five and half million, an increase of more than 265,000. This now means one in 20 of the population is being treated for diabetes and one in ten for obesity.
Around 90 per cent of people with diabetes (2.5 million) have Type 2 diabetes1, which is strongly linked to being overweight or obese, leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating an unhealthy diet. In many cases the condition can be prevented by maintaining a healthy weight, taking regular physical activity and eating a balanced diet rich in fruit and vegetables but low in fat, sugar and salt.
Simon O'Neill, Diabetes UK Director of Care, Information and Advocacy, said: "Once again we see a shocking rise in diabetes and obesity rates in the UK. Many, but not all, people develop Type 2 diabetes because they are overweight or obese so we must keep up the mantra of 'five fruit and veg a day', encourage daily physical activity, and warn of the potentially devastating consequences of an unhealthy lifestyle.
"The obesity-fuelled Type 2 diabetes epidemic is a clear example of where the new coalition government's rhetoric of tackling health problems through prevention must be turned into action. Failure to act now means a bleak future of spiralling NHS costs and worsening public health. Diabetes is serious: if not diagnosed early or poorly managed, it can result in blindness and amputation or a shortened life expectancy from heart disease, stroke and kidney failure."
Diabetes UK is encouraging people to go online and take its new Diabetes Risk Score test to find out about their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. People at increased risk of Type 2 diabetes can often decrease or even reverse their risk by losing weight, increasing their physical activity levels and improving their diet.
The main risk factors for developing Type 2 diabetes are being overweight or having a large waist, being aged over 40 (or over 25 in Black and South Asian people) and having a close relative with diabetes. At risk waist measurements are 37 inches or more for men, except those of South Asian origin who are at risk at 35 inches or more, and 31.5 inches or more for all women.
The symptoms of diabetes are going to the toilet (urinating) all the time especially at night, increased thirst, extreme tiredness, unexplained weight loss, genital itching or regular episodes of thrush, slow healing of cuts and wounds, and blurred vision. In Type 2 diabetes the signs and symptoms may not be obvious and the condition can go undetected for up to ten years meaning around half of people already show signs of complications by the time they are diagnosed. Symptoms are quickly relieved once diabetes is being treated and under control.
Around 10 per cent of NHS spending goes on diabetes and its complications; this equates to ￡9 billion per year or ￡1 million an hour.Notes
1. Type 2 diabetes develops when the body can still make some insulin, but not enough, or when the insulin that is produced does not work properly (known as insulin resistance). Insulin acts as a key unlocking the cells, so if there is not enough insulin, or it is not working properly, the cells are only partially unlocked (or not at all) and glucose builds up in the blood. Type 1 diabetes develops if the body cannot produce any insulin. Insulin is a hormone which helps the glucose to enter the cells where it is used as fuel by the body. Type 1 diabetes usually appears before the age of 40. It is the least common of the two main types and accounts for around 10 per cent of all people with diabetes.
2. In the UK, there are currently 2.8 million people diagnosed with diabetes and it is estimated that 1.1 million people have Type 2 diabetes but do not know it.
3. The Diabetes UK Careline (0845 120 2960) offers information and support on any aspect of managing diabetes. The line is a low cost number and opens Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm (and operates a translation service). Recorded information on a number of diabetes-related topics is also available on this number 24 hours a day.
4. Supporting our work as a 'Diabetes UK Supporting Member' entitles you to a range of benefits including our bi-monthly magazine Balance, reliable information booklets on diabetes, our confidential Diabetes UK Careline, over 400 local Diabetes UK support groups, and access to an exclusive personalised 'Supporting Members Area' on our website.
Source:
Diabetes UK
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