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Pre-diabetes ‘timebomb’

7 million in the UK alone have early-warning signs

Posted in Diet, NGO and IGO action, Physical activity on 19th October, 2009 | no responses

To mark the start of Diabetes UK’s Get Serious campaign, the charity has launched a report highlighting the prevalence of pre-diabetes. Currently, 2.6 million people in the UK have diabetes (with over 145,000 new cases diagnosed in the past year) – and the report estimates that a further 7 million have pre-diabetes (impaired glucose regulation), in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal, but not high enough to be diagnosed as Type 2 diabetes. Pre-diabetes can cause long-term damage even before diabetes develops fully, and those with the condition also have a much greater risk of developing the full-blown disease in the future (up to 15x more likely).

Pre-diabetes, described as a ‘ticking timebomb’ by the charity’s chief executive, Douglas Smallwood, can be reversed with physical activity, weight loss and a healthy diet – even small improvements in diet and exercise can make a difference.

Those most at risk are anyone who is white and over 40, or black or South Asian and over 25, with any of the following risk factors:

  • A close family member has type 2 diabetes
  • Overweight, with a waist size over 31.5 inches for women; 37 inches for men, or 35 inches or over for South Asian men
  • High blood pressure, or history of heart attack or stroke
  • Polycystic ovary syndrome or previous gestational diabetes in women
  • Severe mental health problems

Source: Diabetes UK press release, 19 October 2009.

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