Poor diets help lead to record number of diabetics

Official figures show that the number of people with diabetes in the UK has risen 62 per cent over the last decade, strongly driven by the increasing obesity problem caused by unhealthy diets.
In 2004/05, approximately 2 million people were diagnosed with diabetes. This has risen dramatically over the years, with approximately 3.3 million diagnosed in 2013/14, according to reported NHS figures. Experts also believe there could be more than half a million people who have not been diagnosed with diabetes yet.
Of these 3.3 million people, 90 per cent have type 2 diabetes. This is often associated with obesity, which is, in turn, often caused by an unhealthy lifestyle. It is important to have a balanced diet, consuming plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, whilst reducing your intake of sugar and processed food. Taking part in regular exercise is also important in the fight against obesity.
Improved diagnostic capabilities are seen as partly responsible for the rise in those diagnosed, but obesity is highlighted as the biggest factor.
Whilst unfortunately type 1 diabetes is generally a pre-determined condition, depending on DNA, people can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes if they follow a healthy lifestyle.
By 2030 in the UK, more than 64 per cent of women and 74 per cent of men will be classed as overweight or obese, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
As well as being a complicated and distressing condition, diabetes costs the NHS almost £10 billion each year.
“We must act now or face the very real danger of diabetes devastating the lives of even more people, and threatening to wreck the already over-burdened NHS,” said Bridget Turner, of Diabetes UK.

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