UK heading towards diabetes crisis

The UK could be heading towards a diabetes crisis because not enough people are aware they have the condition.

Diabetes UK says that the number of people living with the diabetes will increase greatly over the course of the next decade, with two-thirds of Brits unaware that having a larger waistline puts them at greater risk.

According to the charity, women with a waist of 31.5 inches or more and men with one greater than 35in are at the highest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

Currently, around four million people in the UK have the condition, putting them at greater risk of heart and kidney disease.

It is estimated that the number of sufferers will be around 6.25 million by 2035, with a cost to the economy of around £40 billion a year.

Diabetes UK chief executive Barbara Young said: "The fact that awareness of some risk factors for Type 2 diabetes is so low is worrying.

"We are particularly concerned that people might think they do not have anything to worry about just because their body mass index suggests they are in the healthy weight range."

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