Charity calls for action as it emerges five million people in UK have diabetes

The nation is in the grip of a “spiralling” diabetes crisis with more than five million people suffering from the ­serious condition, a charity warns.

Some 66% of adults are overweight or obese – and 90% of diabetics have Type 2, which is linked to unhealthy lifestyles and puts them at risk of heart attacks, strokes and amputations.

Since 2015-16, diagnoses­ have soared from 3.6 million to 4.3 million.

But Diabetes UK estimates there are at least 850,000 undiagnosed diabetics, taking the figure beyond five million.

And the condition is increasingly common among under-40s.

Diabetes UK chief executive Chris Askew OBE said: “It’s a relentless condition and the fear of serious complications is a lifelong reality for millions. These figures show we’re in the grip of a rapidly escalating diabetes crisis, with spiralling numbers of people now living with Type 2 and millions at high risk of developing the condition.”

In Type 2 diabetes, the body does not produce enough insulin, or its cells do not react to it properly.

More than 2.4 million are estimated to be at high risk of developing Type 2 – which is more common in poorer areas or where people struggle to access green spaces for exercise.

Diabetes UK wants the Government to address the nation’s social conditions.

Policy manager Nikki Joule said: “Living in poverty makes it harder for people to live healthy lives. People in poorer areas have less access to, and struggle more to afford, healthy food.”

Treating diabetes costs an estimated £14billion a year – 10% of the NHS ’s budget. Kamlesh Khunti, professor of primary care diabetes at Leicester University, warned “the future health burden of diabetes is enormous”, adding: “We need serious actions.”

The Department of Health said: “The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme has helped 18,000 people avoid Type 2 diabetes through expert advice on eating and exercise.”