One in five adults in the UK are now living with diabetes or pre-diabetes, according to “alarming” data that exposes the impact of soaring obesity levels, increasingly unhealthy diets and a “broken” food environment.
In total, 12.2 million people are affected, the data analysis from Diabetes UK shows, including 4.6 million with diagnosed diabetes, 1.3 million with undiagnosed diabetes, and 6.3 million with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, also known as pre-diabetes. It is the highest total ever recorded.
Only a small proportion of diabetes cases are type 1 or other forms unrelated to lifestyle. Colette Marshall, the charity’s chief executive, said the rapidly rising numbers were largely driven by increasing cases of type 2 diabetes.
“While obesity is not the only factor that increases risk of type 2 diabetes, we’re concerned that the rise in the number of those living with … obesity is translating into soaring cases of pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes across the UK,” she said.
“We need bold and urgent action from government to reverse these alarming trends. We are seeing increasingly unhealthy diets, driven in part by promotions of foods high in fat, salt and sugar, resulting in unhealthy food often being the easiest option.”
While the government’s commitment to developing a food strategy was encouraging, Marshall said, it needed to go further and faster to fix the UK’s “broken food environment” and ensure everyone had the opportunity to live in good health.
“Incentivising healthier food and drink production, as well as building on the success of the existing soft drinks industry levy by expanding it to include other food and drink products that are high in fat, salt and sugar, are crucial measures that could make a real difference to the health of the nation.”
Marshall called for those living with undiagnosed diabetes to be “urgently” identified, along with more investment for prevention programmes to promote lifestyle changes.
The charity’s analysis shows 4.6 million people in the UK have a diabetes diagnosis, the highest on record and an increase on the 4.4 million reported just a year ago.
About 8% have type 1 diabetes, which happens when a person cannot produce insulin, a hormone that helps the body turn glucose into energy. About 90% have type 2 diabetes, which happens when the body does not use insulin properly, while 2% have different and rarer forms of the condition.
The analysis estimates a further 1.3 million people have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, and about 6.3 million people have non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, also known as pre-diabetes. Left untreated, pre-diabetes can develop into full-blown type 2 diabetes, although it can be reversed with lifestyle changes such as healthy eating and exercise.
“These latest figures highlight the hidden health crisis we’re facing in the UK, and underline why the government must act now,” Marshall said. “There must be better care for the millions of people living with all types of diabetes, to support them to live well and fend off the risk of developing devastating complications.”
In an open letter to Keir Starmer and Wes Streeting, Diabetes UK called for the government’s forthcoming 10-year health plan to prioritise people with pre-diabetes and undiagnosed type 2 diabetes through improved NHS health checks.
“With more people developing pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes at a younger age, it’s also critical that much more is done to find the missing millions who either have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes but are completely unaware of it,” Marshall said.
The charity also called for more investment in schemes such as the NHS diabetes prevention programme, which promotes lifestyle changes to those at risk of developing type 2.
The Department of Health and Social Care said the new figures were “extremely concerning”. A spokesperson said its 10-year health plan would commit to a shift from sickness to prevention to help people to live a healthy life for longer.
The government was also taking action such as restricting junk food advertising, and developing a new NHS digital health check to help people reduce their risk of diabetes, the spokesperson added.
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