According to experts, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes has doubled in just 15 years.
NHS figures have shown that there are now five million people in England with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes, compared with just 4.1 million in 2004/5.
The rise in obesity is blamed for the rise in type 2 diabetes cases. NHS England recently reported that obesity-related hospitalizations have increased, with a record 1 million hospitalized in England from 2019 to 2020.
The rise in type 2 diabetes is of particular concern during the pandemic, as research has shown people with the condition are twice as likely to die from CoVID19.
Speaking to Mail Online, Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum said, “The numbers shouldn’t come as a surprise. For the last 20 years, successive governments have done next to nothing to tackle obesity – the main culprit of diabetes – and the numbers have skyrocketed as a direct result.
“Although the NHS diabetes prevention program was announced in response to preventing further escalation, the predictions suggest it will fail too.”
To date, the program has helped around 750,000 people identified at risk of developing type 2 diabetes lose weight and make better lifestyle choices so they can improve their health outcomes.
