Dr Hilary Jones has warned the UK about a ticking health timebomb which risks overwhelming the NHS. Speaking on ITV’s Lorraine, Dr Hilary said 6.3million Brits had the symptomless condition which can ultimately lead to ‘heart failure, heart attacks, strokes, sight loss, and kidney failure’.
He was talking about prediabetes. New figures from Diabetes UK show that an estimated 6.3 million people in the UK are now living with the condition. It occurs when blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
While it may not sound dangerous, it is still a ‘ serious health condition that increases your risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke’. It can be detected with a simple blood test done by your doctor.
Dr Hilary said: “There are 6.3 million people living with prediabetes. They’re not aware of it, they have no symptoms, which is why we need regular checks to screen for it. All the time they’re building up a risk – a high risk – of developing full-blown diabetes and a high risk of developing those complications down the line, which include heart failure, heart attacks, strokes, sight loss, (and) kidney failure.
“It’s really serious and it’s costing 10 per cent of the entire NHS budget. In the next 10 years, if we don’t stop this, if we don’t find those missing millions who’ve got prediabetes, we’re going to be spending about £18 billion on something that could be put back into remission if we can identify it and help people to lose weight and get fit again.”
It also comes with no symptoms, meaning that if you start developing the signs of diabetes – such as urinating more often, feeling more tired, losing weight, thirst, cuts and wounds taking longer to heal, and blurred vision – you may well already have diabetes.
There is good news, however, Not only can it be detected with an easy test, but addressing the problem early can reduce your chance of having diabetes. Adopting a healthy diet can reduce your chances, and so can losing weight. It is thought that dropping five per cent of your body weight can ‘significantly reduce’ your risk.
Eating more fruit and vegetables, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, and yoghurt can help. Cutting down on sugar-sweetened drinks, red and processed meats, refined carbohydrates, and potatoes – particularly French fries – can also make a difference. Increasing your levels of physical activity can also help.
Diabetes UK’s latest figures show that 4.6 million people in the UK have been diagnosed with diabetes, the highest number on record and an increase from the 4.4 million reported last year. The charity also estimates that an additional 1.3 million people have undiagnosed type 2 diabetes, while around 6.3 million are living with prediabetes.
Difference between type 1 and type 2 diabetes
There are actually many types of diabetes, but type 1 and type 2 are the most common. When you’ve got type 1 diabetes, your body cannot make any insulin at all. The insulin-producing cells have been attacked and destroyed by your immune system. This is why type 1 diabetes is known as an autoimmune condition.
Type 2 diabetes is not an autoimmune condition. Your body is not making enough insulin or what it makes is not working properly. This can be for many reasons. Type 1 diabetes affects eight per cent of people living with diabetes and type 2 diabetes affects 90 per cent of people living with diabetes.
People tend to be younger when they are diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and it is thought that family genes play more of a role in people having it. Type 2 is often lifestyle-related, and people are often older when they are diagnosed.