Title: BBC NEWS | Health | Rates of diabetes soar in the UK
Headings: Rates of diabetes soar in the UK
Rates of diabetes soar in the UK
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Content: Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: " This research is a sad indictment of the current state of the UK's health. Sadly, the statistics are not surprising as we know that the soaring rates of type 2 diabetes, are strongly linked to the country's expanding waistline. "Research shows that losing weight can reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 58%. It is imperative that we raise awareness of the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet and doing at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day if we want to make any headway in defusing the diabetes time bomb." Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the UK Faculty of Public Health, said: " Early detection and treatment are crucial. We must do whatever we can to find the half-million people who don't know they've got it." Rates of obesity and diabetes will continue to rise unless we do something urgently
Tam Fry of the National Obesity Forum
There are currently over 2.5 million people with diabetes in the UK and there are more than half a million people with diabetes who have the condition and don't know it. Type 2 diabetes usually appears in people over the age of 40, however, recently, more children are being diagnosed with the condition, some as young as seven.