Sunday, July 24, 2011
You don't have to be obese to have diabetes
The stereotype of a person with type 2 diabetes is someone who is overweight, leading a sedentary lifestyle and eating an unhealthy diet. There is certainly a strong link between diabetes and obesity, but 20% of people with type 2 diabetes are regarded as leading healthy lifestyles.
Many people don't have the condition diagnosed, simply because they don't realise they are at risk. People who don't appear overweight may still have internal ('visceral') fat surrounding vital organs, increasing their risk of developing diabetes.
Treating people with diabetes currently costs the NHS 3.5 billion every year. Over the next decade, the number of sufferers is expected to double, which means the financial burden for the health service will soar even further. Already, there are more than 350 million people with the condition globally. 10% of those cases are type 1 diabetes, with lifestyle not being a factor in those cases. By 2025, there will be 4 million diagnosed cases of diabetes in Britain, according to the charity Diabetes UK.
Many people have symptoms like increased thirst, fatigue and frequent urination, but simply don't appreciate they may be at risk of diabetes. The condition can take years to detect in these cases, often not being diagnosed until the pancreas is no longer able to produce enough (or any) insulin. This forces glucose levels up, which is bad for circulation, and increases the probability of heart attacks, strokes, blindness and amputation. A pot belly is the most revealing warning sign for doctors, as it indicates a concentration of fat in the abdomen.
Only targeting overweight people with diabetes warnings has persuaded many people that they are not at risk, according to some experts. A pot belly is the strongest warning sign for doctors, as it reveals an accumulation of fat in the abdomen. There are also concerns that the increasing commonness of the disease has led people to take it less seriously, and many people want to see more emphasis placed on the need to modify lifestyles rather than rely on drugs to treat the condition.
Many people don't have the condition diagnosed, simply because they don't realise they are at risk. People who don't appear overweight may still have internal ('visceral') fat surrounding vital organs, increasing their risk of developing diabetes.
Treating people with diabetes currently costs the NHS 3.5 billion every year. Over the next decade, the number of sufferers is expected to double, which means the financial burden for the health service will soar even further. Already, there are more than 350 million people with the condition globally. 10% of those cases are type 1 diabetes, with lifestyle not being a factor in those cases. By 2025, there will be 4 million diagnosed cases of diabetes in Britain, according to the charity Diabetes UK.
Many people have symptoms like increased thirst, fatigue and frequent urination, but simply don't appreciate they may be at risk of diabetes. The condition can take years to detect in these cases, often not being diagnosed until the pancreas is no longer able to produce enough (or any) insulin. This forces glucose levels up, which is bad for circulation, and increases the probability of heart attacks, strokes, blindness and amputation. A pot belly is the most revealing warning sign for doctors, as it indicates a concentration of fat in the abdomen.
Only targeting overweight people with diabetes warnings has persuaded many people that they are not at risk, according to some experts. A pot belly is the strongest warning sign for doctors, as it reveals an accumulation of fat in the abdomen. There are also concerns that the increasing commonness of the disease has led people to take it less seriously, and many people want to see more emphasis placed on the need to modify lifestyles rather than rely on drugs to treat the condition.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment