Diabetes UK have reported that the number of cases of diabetes in the UK have risen dramatically in recent years.
Diabetes is caused by being overweight and eating a poor diet, usually one that consists of excess junk food and inadequate nutrition.
Prevalance of diabetes is now extremely high. In England 2,338,813 are reported to have diabetes, of which Type 2 Diabetes is the most common type, and the most easily avoided. This means that 5.4% of English people now have diabetes. It is estimate that by 2025 over 4 million British people will have diabetes.
Diabetes increases risk of developing heart disease, stroke and kidney failure, and can also result in amputations and blindness.
As more children become overweight and obese, the rising trend is guaranteed to continue. The only way to reverse this is education in schools and the community, to encourage people to stop relying so heavily on processed foods and junk food and instead cook healthy meals at home.
To further complicate the situation over the last 5 years many specialist diabetes services have been cut. While diabetes and obesity are becoming increasingly serious problems, funding to tackle the problem is being reduced.
“People with diabetes deserve the best quality care healthcare professionals can provide. How can this possibly be achieved when investment in staffing levels and our ongoing education and training are cut?” – June James, DSN and Vice Chair of Diabetes UK Professional Advisory Council
For more information on Diabetes visit www.diabetes.org.uk.
The best way to tackle diabetes is through prevention, and a healthy diet and regular exercise are the only ways to do this effectively.
