Diabetes: One Person Diagnosed Every 2 Minutes

Here at the Daily Health we used to warn that type 2 diabetes is developing fast into a full-blown health epidemic… Now, unfortunately, we can safely say that it has reached that point and that according to figures revealed in a recent documentary, Diabetes: The Hidden Killer, one person is diagnosed with the condition every 2 minutes, in the UK.

That’s a frightening number of people… but the saddest and most shocking thing about this health crisis is that type 2 diabetes is completely preventable – not with drugs and not with invasive surgery but through committing to diet and lifestyle changes.

A simple solution

Earlier this week, the documentary Diabetes: The Hidden Killer aired on television… and to say that watching it was a real eye-opener would be an understatement. Here are just some of the statistics and figures that were mentioned:

• Before 2000, there had never been a single case of a child being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK.
• The number of children aged 16 and under who have the debilitating condition has doubled since 2005.
• Birmingham has the highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the country, with one in ten people now suffering from the condition.
• Currently in the UK, one person is diagnosed every 2 minutes with type 2 diabetes.
• Four Million people in the UK live with the condition and it is estimated that another million people don’t even know they have the condition.
• If left untreated it could lead to heart failure, blindness, kidney disease and even leg amputations.

To say that we have a massive health crisis on our doorstep would be stating the obvious…

It’s great that Diabetes: The Hidden Killer highlighted the dangers of type 2 diabetes. However, I’m slightly annoyed by the fact that the focus of the documentary was not on driving the message home that type 2 diabetes is entirely preventable through diet and lifestyle changes, but instead the filmmakers focussed on how the disease can be reversed through extremely invasive procedures like bariatric surgery – where a large part of your stomach is removed!

In fact, one of the diabetes specialists that was interviewed said that there is now enough hard evidence for the mainstream to say that this type of surgery is a “cure” for type 2 diabetes…

No! The focus should be on:

• Maintaining a healthy body weight through diet (Paleo Diet)
• Reducing the intake of sugary foods (avoiding all junk and processed foods)
• Choosing the right fats (healthy saturated fats, avoiding trans-fats)
• Regular exercise – 3 times a week for 30 minutes
• Flavouring your food with spices – avoiding artificial colourings, flavourings and artificial sweeteners

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Disclaimer: Bear in mind the material contained in this article is provided for information purposes only. We are not addressing anyone’s personal situation. Please consult with your own physician before acting on any recommendations contained herein.

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