Wales Needs to Tackle Diabetes Epidemic

Mon, 26 Jul 2010
Diabetes is a disease that affects 2.5million individuals in the UK alone.

In Wales, 146,000 people are diabetic and this figure is anticipated to increase to 225,000 plus by 2025, mainly due to to the modern lifestyles we lead.

The impending diabetes timebomb would place a huge burden on Welsh NHS resources, unless specific action is taken to cut back the occurrence of this condition.

Diabetes occurs due to the body’s inability to process glucose effectively due to insufficient insulin . Insulin is crucial as it helps cells to absorb glucose.

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes develops when the body cannot produce any insulin and tends to affect younger people. It s not as common as Type 2 diabetes, with the former affecting approximately 15% of all diabetics . There are around 1,400 Type 1 Diabetics in Wales.

Type 2 diabetes happens when the pancreas cannot produce sufficient insulin or the insulin produced is not working properly. This is usually related to obesity .

Type 2 diabetes often occurs in the over 40s. However, it can impact younger people, especially those who have a high fat diet and do not take regular exercise .

The rise in diabetes has been matched by the move towards more sedentary lifestyles over recent decades.

The percentage of the Welsh population diagnosed with diabetes has quadrupled since 1990, from 1.2% to 4.6% in 2010.

Diabetes UK Cymru claims thagt around 80% of cases of diabetes are directly due to obesity.

Wales has already got once of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world, with 22% of 13 year old boys and 16% of 13 year old girls classified as overweight or obese .

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