Diabetes explosion on the cards for Brits

According to a charity in Britain, unless there is a major change in lifestyle, by 2025 there will be 3.6 million people with diabetes in England.

Diabetes UK says this equates to 6.5% of the population and when the data is extended to include Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, that figure will reach 4.2 million.

This represents a rise of 46% going on current figures or one in every 12 people.

Diabetes UK says the blame can be laid on unhealthy diets and a lack of exercise which will lead to a "diabetes explosion" unless things change.

Currently around 2.3 million people in the UK are diagnosed with diabetes but experts say in excess of 500,000 also have the condition but are unaware of it.

Diabetes puts sufferers at risk of serious complications, including heart disease, blindness, kidney disease and limb amputation and it is the increasing numbers of overweight and obese people, who will be at risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

When they are initially diagnosed eight out of every ten people with type 2 diabetes are overweight; type 1 diabetes is far less common and is usually diagnosed in childhood.

Diabetes UK says corresponding costs will be seen in the NHS and escalate healthcare expenditure and health services will be put under enormous pressure.

Experts suggest that as much as £10,000 per minute is presently used treating diabetes and its complications and Diabetes UK says the new figures are shocking and confirm that diabetes is one of the main health challenges facing the UK today.

The charity says awareness and prevention are crucial in averting the potential health crisis and people must be encouraged to reduce their risk of developing the condition by eating healthily, maintaining a healthy weight and leading an active lifestyle.

A range of government sponsored initiatives have been launched to deal with the issue including a "healthy town" project which attracts substantial funding and includes encouraging the creation of more cycle lanes, walk to work and school schemes, and healthy food.

Amounts of up to £5m will be available if a commitment to a more healthy environment has already been shown.

These initiatives follow predictions by the Department of Health in 2006 which forecast more than 12 million adults and a million children in England would be obese by 2010 if no action was taken.