Increase in diabetes

04/03/09

Recent research has shown that while  Type 1 diabetes ( which affects younger people who are a healthy weight) has remained constant  there has been a 62% rise  in Type 2 diabetes ( normally develops later due to being overweight or obese).

Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of leading health charity Diabetes UK, said: "This research is a sad indictment of the current state of the UK's health. Sadly, the statistics are not surprising as we know that the soaring rates of Type 2 diabetes are strongly linked to the country's expanding waistline.

"Research shows that losing weight can reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 58 per cent. It is imperative that we raise awareness of the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet and doing at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day if we want to make any headway in defusing the diabetes time bomb."

Restrictions on junk food advertising and better labelling of food should be made mandatory, he said.