00:00new statistics have revealed that diabetes in the UK is at its highest ever level, with up to 5
00:05million people being affected by the condition. And on top of that, it's estimated that 9 out of
00:1010 people have type 2 diabetes, which is actually linked to obesity. So Dr. Zoe is joining us now
00:17with lots more information. I mean, the statistics are shocking. It's been revealed that diabetes in
00:22the UK is at its highest level, with an estimated 5 million people living with the condition. I mean,
00:28what else do these new statistics show? Well, I mean, it's an absolute crisis. We're not on the
00:34cusp of a crisis. It already is a crisis. We're also seeing that people under the age of 40,
00:39the increase in people being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in that age category is accelerating
00:44actually faster than the rate of diabetes is accelerating. And it's the people who are
00:51affected, people in low socioeconomic groups, but it is very closely linked to the obesity crisis.
00:56So two thirds of people in this country now have a weight that is deemed to be overweight
01:01or obese. And that is closely linked when we're talking about type 2 diabetes.
01:05Sorry, the difference between type 1 and type 2?
01:08So type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune condition. So that's when your own body's immune system
01:13attacks the cells that create insulin, not linked to lifestyle. We don't really know what
01:17causes it. People need to take insulin forever. Type 2 diabetes is different. So that is,
01:23again, your body doesn't respond so well to insulin and eventually it struggles to make
01:28insulin. But that is closely linked to genetics and lifestyle and the environment that we live
01:33in.
01:33So why is it happening? Why is it happening now?
01:35Well, the main reason we're seeing this huge increase is actually changes to the environment.
01:40Have you heard the term obesogenic environment?
01:42No.
01:42So that means an environment that when you live in it puts you at higher risk of obesity. And over
01:48the last 50 years, the environment we live in has changed hugely. I think it's complex. There
01:53are lots of complex reasons why people might get type 2 diabetes, but we can break it down
01:57into your genetics, your lifestyle and your environment. Our genetics haven't changed over
02:0250 years. You know, you're born with a range of possibilities and your risk is set. Your lifestyle
02:09then determines where within that range of possibilities you might end up. So if you have
02:12a very healthy lifestyle, you're at lower risk of diabetes, type 2 diabetes, less healthy lifestyle,
02:18higher risk. But then the thing that we don't have any control over is the environment we live in. So
02:22how the food environment has changed, how technology, we've designed physical activity out of our
02:27lives. We're more stressed. You know, lots of people living in poverty. And what that does, that risk for
02:32all of us, it shifts it in that direction of putting us at higher risk of obesity and therefore higher
02:37risk of
02:37type 2 diabetes. And actually, predominantly, it's that change in environment, this obesogenic
02:42environment, which we don't have any control over as individuals, that's causing this huge increase
02:47in numbers. So what signs should you be looking at for? So when symptoms of type 2 diabetes, because
02:53the really interesting thing is we're saying 5 million, but about 4.3 million people have been
02:58diagnosed. There's about 850,000 people out there who have type 2 diabetes, but it hasn't been
03:03diagnosed. So symptoms, you can think of them as the four T's. First one is toilet. Are you needing
03:09to pee much more often than usual? Second one is thirst. Are you very, very thirsty? The third one
03:15is tiredness, feeling more tired for no reason. And the fourth one is thinness. Are you losing weight
03:20without any good reason? So those are some of the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
03:24That's really interesting. But people presume as you get bigger, you're more prone to diabetes,
03:27but no, you lose weight.
03:28Well, once the blood sugars go very dangerously high, you can start to lose weight because your
03:33body can't utilize the glucose. But really importantly, most people at time of diagnosis
03:38have no symptoms. It's asymptomatic. So it's incredibly important that people, once you're
03:42at the age of 40, you'll be offered an NHS health check. And one of the things we'll check
03:46for is type 2 diabetes. So do attend that. But as we're saying, lots of people under the age
03:51of 40. So if you think you might be at higher risk, if you have a family history, if you
03:55are
03:55black or South Asian, you are already at higher risk. Or if you think, you know, because of
04:00your weight, your BMI, you might be at higher risk, you can ask your GP for a blood test to
04:04check it out.
04:05So how can we all reduce our risk? So as individuals, there are, of course, there are things that
04:09we can do. So, you know, I want to empower people. I want people to believe that they
04:13can reduce their risk by having a healthy lifestyle. And it's largely linked to weight, but
04:18also physical activity is really important. Trying to reduce your stress is really important.
04:24Attending the GP, if you've got any concerns, because it's incredibly important, this is
04:29treated early, but really for that to be changed. If we're saying that it's not genetics that
04:33are the main cause, our lifestyles, people are trying, people are trying and trying. We're
04:37constantly telling people, eat less fat, eat less sugar, you know, be healthier, but it's
04:42not working. Actually, we live in a world where the food we eat consistently, the food industry
04:47are adding more salt, adding more sugar, adding more highly processed foods. We need to change
04:52the environment. And that actually is going to take government action to try and get the
04:56food environment and our lifestyles back to how they used to be 50 years ago, so that
05:00we can reduce our risk of type 2 diabetes.
05:03On a positive note, with type 1, like Henry Slade, the England and Exeter Chief Centre
05:08has type 1 diabetes. And he's a brilliant rugby player who gets on with it. Type 2, it sounds
05:12like you can actually do something about it. You can take action.
05:15Absolutely. And if you were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, you can still live a really
05:19full life. And you can get yourself into remission as well. Once you're diagnosed, the sooner
05:23you try, the best chance you have of getting yourself back into remission. But you need
05:27to make significant lifestyle changes.
05:28As ever Zoe, thank you so much. Have a great weekend. Thank you so much. Right, in just a
05:32moment, how to bag a bargain. Our deals expert Chloe Carmichael is back to help save you some
05:37money. And as strictly spectacular as we've got the Oti Mabusi Bruno Tonioli joining us live
05:43in the studio, that's all coming up after your local weather forecast.
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