Diabetes is at a record high because we’re fatter than ever. But what can be done? | Ann Robinson

Diabetes is at a record high because we’re fatter than ever. But what can be done? | Ann Robinson


The ‘eat less, do more’ advice, drug regimes and surgery for patients with type 2 diabetes have thus far proved unequal to the scale of this ever-growing menace

Diabetes in the UK is at an all-time high, according to analysis of NHS data released by Diabetes UK to mark Diabetes week. There are now 3.9 million people with diabetes in the UK and growing numbers are diagnosed each year.

It could be argued that these numbers reflect the fact that better treatment means people are living longer with diabetes rather than dying from it prematurely. And some of the increased incidence may be due to better awareness and diagnosis by patients and doctors. GPs are incentivised to identify previously undiagnosed cases of diabetes and penalised if their rates of diagnosis are deemed too low. Guardian

A quarter of British adults are obese, compared with an average of 16.7% in the rest of Europe

Related: Type 2 diabetes and the diet that cured me

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