At crisis level – some experts describe the increase in the number of people with type 2 diabetes.
New data released last week showed that in England and Wales alone more than 200,000 new cases were diagnosed in 2017, the equivalent of one diagnosis every three minutes.
“In an average general practice, it is not uncommon for every second or third patient to have type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes,” says Dr. Campbell Murdoch, a physician in Somerset and chief physician of the global online diabetes community diabetes.co. .uk.
“We are experiencing a crisis, both for individual patients and for healthcare, that is being flooded by this problem.”
Shocking new data published last week showed that more than 200,000 new cases were diagnosed in England and Wales in 2017 alone
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body becomes resistant to the effects of the hormone insulin, which is produced in the pancreas and takes glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream and into cells. When people become overweight, this process becomes less effective, so more and more insulin is needed to do the job.
Ultimately, the pancreas becomes overwhelmed and starts producing less insulin, causing more glucose to circulate and type 2 diabetes.
Not everyone who becomes overweight will develop type 2: genes play a role, just like gender. “A man with excess fat deposits in the abdomen is more likely to develop type 2 than a comparable woman,” says Dr. Alex Miras, senior lecturer and consultant endocrinologist at Imperial College London.
Alarming research published yesterday has shown why type 2 diabetes is not a diagnosis that should be taken lightly.
A study based on more than 300,000 patients showed that those who are diagnosed in middle age or younger lose more years of their lives than older people.
“Those diagnosed with type 2 in adolescence lose more than a decade in life, 40-50 year-olds lose about six years, while once over 80 years no lifetimes are lost,” says Naveed Sattar, a professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow and lead author of the study, published in the journal Circulation.
Michael Short, 51, an NHS health care assistant, lives in Wakefield, Yorkshire and was diagnosed in January
And from the middle age, some people can develop type 2 with even a modest weight gain, he explains.
In contrast, young people require a substantial weight gain to activate it, because their pancreas is more efficient and can pump out more insulin. However, their extra weight means that they are likely to have high blood pressure and other risk factors for diabetic complications.
The risk of complications can be reduced in some cases with medication and significant weight loss (either achieved through surgery or diet), plus lifestyle changes.
An approach that produces impressive results is a low-carbohydrate diet, as the Mail reveals in a large series that starts from Saturday.
Although some people will have typical type 2 diabetes symptoms – such as extreme fatigue, thirst, or more peeing than normal – others don’t have any, so don’t know something is wrong.
We spoke with four people, all of whom were diagnosed within a few weeks of each other.
Their stories emphasize one of the most important factors behind the growing tide of type 2 diabetes – and read beneficial. . .
IT COMES DOWN TO? I was obese
Michael Short, 51, an NHS health care assistant, lives in Wakefield, Yorkshire, with his wife Jill, 57, a retired nurse. He was diagnosed on January 15.
From about November last year I really fought with a lack of energy: I came home from work and fell asleep.
Karen Hewitt, 59, an NHS practice manager and mother of two was diagnosed in February
My wife Jill told the doctor that I had snore badly and at first he suspected sleep apnea, where you temporarily stop breathing while you sleep, waking you up all night.
Just like type 2 diabetes, it is common for you to be overweight. At that time I weighed 17 pounds 8 pounds, and at 6ft my body mass index (BMI) was 33 – classified as ‘obese’.
I was referred to a sleep specialist, but in the meantime my fatigue meant trying to get through a day at work was like wading through syrup. I spent my days off sleeping.
While my hobbies until recently included walking and nature photography, I now had no energy left for them.
On New Year’s Day I hit a low point. I felt that I could not go to work and I was really thirsty despite drinking a lot of water.
I saw a doctor on January 10 and a few days later I got the results of blood tests that showed my HbA1c [which measures average blood sugar levels over three months] was 61 – the threshold for diabetes is 48.
I knew from my work as an NHS health assistant how serious type 2 can be and I just couldn’t believe it had happened to me. My weight gain has escalated over the past five years, but I thought I could get away with it because I was young and standing on my legs all day. The diagnosis was a huge wake-up call. I knew my diet was terrible. At the hospital I always dived into chocolates, family members buy staff and I drank up to 15 small bottles of sweet cider a week when I wasn’t working the next day.
Doing services didn’t help, because I ate at irregular times. And I ate a lot of carbohydrates – about seven slices of bread a day, plus cookies and cake.
The practice nurse advised me to follow the Eatwell Plate approach, with about 38 percent calories on your plate from carbohydrates, 40 percent from fruits and vegetables, 12 percent from proteins, 8 percent from dairy or alternatives and 1 percent from oils or spreads.
I followed this religiously, but within a few days I felt worse. After eating a baked potato with breaded fish and peas, I felt light in my head and the TV screen looked blurry.
I then heard how low carb might help. The NHS accepts that this can be beneficial and has approved the Low Carb Program app, which minimizes all major sources of carbohydrates, such as bread and rice.
I had more energy within 24 hours. I felt sharper and the blurred vision disappeared.
Almost three months later I lost the 3rd and got my mojo back. My blood sugar is within the normal range (my last measurement was 39), so I put my diabetes in remission. Like many people, I didn’t really think enough about the risk that my weight caused. Being overweight is not just how you look; it can shorten your life.
I HAVE DIABETES ANNUAL YEAR AGO
Karen Hewitt, 59, an NHS practice manager and mother of two, lives in Liverpool with husband David, 61, a baggage handler at the airport. She was diagnosed on February 1.
I am fully aware that obesity is the most important risk factor for type 2, but when a blood test in 2015 discovered that my blood sugar level was just below the diabetic threshold, I lay my head in the sand.
I was 12th 6 pounds and I am 5ft 5in, so my BMI was 29 – ‘overweight’.
That test should have been a wake-up call, but I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t take it seriously.
I had struggled with my weight since I had children. I also developed gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with my daughter Rachel, now 33, which is a risk factor for type 2 in later life. I like chocolate and red wine and ate large portions. I went to a gym in 2016, but the exercise was on its way to sciatica and I had to give up.
In January I started to feel tired and fibrous, with one cold after another, so I went to my doctor. A blood test showed that my HbA1c values were 64. Despite the earlier warnings, I was shocked.
This time I am really motivated to do something, because I know that if you lose enough weight, you can put diabetes in remission.
My doctor referred me for two sessions for diabetes education. In the meantime, I take metformin to lower my blood sugar level and have changed my diet [to low carb]. I also let the dog out more and am more active.
I lost a stone in six weeks and my HbA1c levels have dropped to 57. By the time I turn 60 in November, I want them to fall within the normal range.
LONG HOURS DON’T LEAVE TIME FOR EXERCISE
Darron Broadhurst, 51, an IT engineer, lives in Worcester with his wife Sarah, 40, an accountant and their two teenage children. He was diagnosed in mid-January.
There is no escaping the fact that I am a big guy – my waist is 52 inches. The last time I was weighed (six months ago) I was more than 23rd. At 6ft long, my BMI is over 40 – “obese”.
So when I was diagnosed with type 2 after a routine blood test, it was no surprise. But it was scary. My mother had type 2, developed kidney problems and therefore had a mini-stroke. It scared me. I want to be around to see my children grow up.
I know I have to lose weight, but I am obsessed with food. I always stop at the supermarket to pick up more. I eat a full English breakfast twice a week, as well as cakes, cookies and takeaway meals, and I love whiskey – I probably drink too much. I have a seated desk and a long trip to work (100 km two days a week), so I am too exhausted to think about sports. I also suffer from depression and if I have a bad mood, I eat safely. Then I get even more depressed and binge again.
Andy Capon, 53, a factory worker from Faversham in Kent was diagnosed on January 3
I have lost weight three times before, most recently in a weight loss club, prescribed by the NHS, a few years ago, when I lost 3rd. But when the financing ended, the weight went back. I can not afford it.
Fortunately the doctors think that my diabetes contracted early, but it is now up to me to make major changes. I have already started cutting my portions – my ‘full English’ is now just a poached egg on toast with baked beans. I always enjoyed walking and was planning to do it more. I also use the medicine metformin.
Somehow I have to find the willpower to make some very big changes in lifestyle or diabetes will shorten my life.
BEER WAS MY DOWNFALL
Andy Capon, 53, a factory worker from Faversham in Kent is single. He was diagnosed on January 3.
When my doctor told me I had type 2 diabetes, I didn’t know much about it. So I googled it – and scared myself to death. Amputations threatened to become blind. I had no idea that diabetes could be so serious.
The irony was that I only went to my doctor to talk about the antidepressants I had taken since 2016. I felt in a much better place and he said: ‘Okay, let’s lower your dose. But first I’ll give you a blood test. “The doctor thought they had contracted the diabetes early and said it was reversible through diet and exercise.
Now that I know what I know now, I am not surprised that I have developed type 2. I had an irresponsible lifestyle, but at the time I had no idea what I was doing my body.
Darron Broadhurst, 51, an IT engineer, was diagnosed in mid-January
My biggest problem was liquor. I would not touch a drop during the week, but I love real beer and between finishing a Friday and going back on Monday I would have too many pints. I would also eat pastries, white bread and large curries. I didn’t do an exercise.
But immediately after my diagnosis I stopped drinking, had salads and no sandwiches for lunch and I cut out the junk food. I also went to a gym and went four times a week. I was 17th (I am 5ft 7in) when I was diagnosed, but by the end of February I had gone to 15th. For the first time in 53 years I felt great. I had more energy and people said they had never seen me so well.
Then I was diagnosed with a thumb-sized tumor in my bladder. It was horrible to hear the word “cancer.” I admit that I went to the pub that evening on February 22 and got drunk. I stopped going to the gym and started drinking again.
Two weeks ago they removed the tumor and I am waiting to hear if I need chemotherapy. But I have found my way again. Last week I went back to the gym and I no longer have beer.
I can’t do anything about the cancer, but I can do something about my diabetes.
I know people with type 2 who take tablets for it, but do nothing about their lifestyle. But I have this opportunity to tackle diabetes through nutrition and exercise and I will not let this pass.
For more information, visit diabetes.org.uk or diabetes.co.uk
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