It is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ and now harrowing new statistics reveal that diabetes is becoming an increasing problem across the UK.
An estimated 3.6 million people in England are believed to have type-2 diabetes, as per recent analysis conducted by the Department of Health and Social Care.
However, a specific region has been identified as the nation’s hotspot for type-2 diabetes due to having the highest percentage of individuals affected by the condition.
Recent data indicates that 11.1 percent of the population in Leicestershire are estimated to be dealing with type-2 diabetes, which is the highest proportion in the country. This contrasts with the national average rate of 7.8 percent, which still raises concerns.
Type-2 diabetes makes up about 90 per cent of all diabetes cases in the UK, and is linked to obesity and poor diet.
Speaking to MailOnline, residents living in the diabetes-ridden city vowed to try to curb their unhealthy eating habits but said they weren’t ‘at all surprised’ by the figures.
When we visited the busy city this week, many locals revealed they were sufferers of the illness, caused by the pancreas not producing enough insulin and resulting in high blood sugar levels.
Retired builder Gerald Greally, siting in the window of a McDonald’s tucking into lunch near the clock tower, admitted: ‘I do like a burger and fries now and again.’
Leicestershire has been named the type-2 diabetes hotspot in the country after it was found to have the highest proportion of people suffering from the disease
A visit to Leicester city centre revealed rows of fast food shops and kebab chains
Retired builder Gerald Greally, 88, was siting in the window of a McDonalds tucking into lunch near the clock tower. He said he previously suffered from type-2 diabetes but is now free from the disease after changing his diet
The widower, aged 88, told how he had previously suffered from diabetes 2 and needed to ‘watch what I eat.’
He explained: ‘I was overweight which didn’t help with the diabetes but then I had gallstones and lost three stone and I’m thankfully free of diabetes now.
‘Everyone you talk to seems to have diabetes, it is a common disease.
‘I try to be careful about my diet and don’t eat a lot of meat but a burger one or twice a week as I watch the world go by is my treat.’
Mother-of-three Fatima Adam, who has been prone to suffering from diabetes during pregnancy, said she wasn’t ’surprised at all’ that Leicester has a spiralling number of sufferers.
She said: ‘Everywhere you look there’s a fast food place which is packed out.
‘People with diabetes need to eat healthily and exercise.’
Following Leicestershire, Sandwell is the region with the second highest rate of type-2 diabetes sufferers, with 10.5 per cent thought to have the disease. This is followed by Brent and Wolverhampton, both with 10.4 per cent, and Blackburn with Darwen coming fifth with 10.2 per cent.
The statistics are an analysis of estimated diagnosed and undiagnosed cases in each upper tier local authority area.
Commenting on the figures, Helen Kirrane, Head of Policy and Campaigns at Diabetes UK, said: ‘Type 2 diabetes is serious and these figures are a critical reminder that it is one of the largest health challenges facing the UK.
‘Without the right treatment, it leads to dangerously high blood sugar levels and this can cause life-altering diabetes-related complications.
‘Type 2 diabetes is a complex condition, and there are multiple risk factors at play including age, genetics and living with overweight or obesity.
‘People from South Asian and Black backgrounds are at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes at a younger age and at lower bodyweights compared to those from a White European background.
Mother-of-three Fatima Adam with her sons, Ashras, aged nine, Adad, aged five, and Awab, three
Ms Adam said she thinks the diabetes crisis is due to the ethnic makeup of the population but also the abundance of junk food and fast food stores
In one corner of the city centre, there were a string of chains including Five Guys and a bubble tea shop
The new analysis revealed that 11.1 per cent of Leicestershire’s population are believe to have type-2 diabetes – both diagnosed and undiagnosed
‘We also know that poverty puts people at greater risk, with those from the lowest income households twice as likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes compared with households with the highest incomes.
‘It is vital that Government commits to continuing the improvement of diabetes care and type 2 diabetes prevention support within its 10-Year Health Plan.’
Mrs Adam, 32, from Sudan, who has lived in Leicester city for 10 years, said that her two youngest of three sons have been diagnosed as diabetic.
She said: ‘I like cooking and I eat anything but just less of it and I keep fit by doing lots of walking.
‘We walks to school, to the shops and the park, we walk everywhere!’
Mrs Adam, looking at her Fit Watch, exclaimed: ‘I’ve already done nearly 15,000 steps today. That’s a lot!’
She told how she loved dancing – ’the best way to keep fit and burn some calories.’
Type-2 diabetes is often associated with both genetics and lifestyle factors, with being overweight or obese and not getting enough exercise exacerbating risks of developing the disease.
People from Asian and Black ethnic communities are also said to be at higher risk, with some studies showing that they could be up to two to four times more likely to develop the condition.
Tellingly, Leicester has one of the highest Asian populations outside of London.
43 per cent of Leicester’s population is Asian, the majority of whom are of Indian heritage.
Accompanied by her children, nine-year-old Ashras, Adad, aged five, and Awab, three, with the youngster tucking into a big pack of popcorn, Mrs Adam said: ‘I don’t know why so many people in Leicester have diabetes.
‘Maybe it is something to do with is having an ethnically diverse population and too many junk food restaurants and takeaways.’
Close by to the Five Guys, there is also a McDonalds which neighbours a Tim Hortons
In one row, there was a Nando’s branch next door to Oodles noodle bar and WingTrapp
Dessert shops and Greggs bakeries were also in abundance in the diabetes-ridden city
Retired computer clerk Kate Lavin told of how she suffers from type-2 diabetes and finds it difficult to be as fit as she would like to be due to mobility issues
According to Leicester Diabetes Centre 54,000 people across Leicestershire and Rutland have been diagnosed with the disease.
A stroll through Leicester’s city centre showed endless rows of takeaways and fast-food shops, with many busy with customers and Deliveroo drivers.
Retired computer clerk Kate Lavin, 67, a type 2 sufferer, said: ‘I have to be careful what I eat but it’s difficult at times and I have some mobility issues so am not as fit and healthy as I would like.’
The moter-of-three and grandmother-of-six, who has lived in Leicester all her life, said that diabetes runs in her family.
She said: ‘I have to take tablets twice a day which helps control it.’
She told how whilst she tried to eat healthily, she indulged on ’sweet things’ and her favourite noodles from Chopstix noodle bar.
On the other side of the statistics, Wokingham pulled through as the authority with the lowest rate of type-2 diabetes, with only 5.6 per cent suffering from the disease.
The mother-of-three and grandmother-of-six said the condition runs in her family
Large numbers of Deliveroo and UberEats drivers were seeing waiting outside fast food chains waiting to take deliveries
Shops were already busy with customers during the day in Leicester’s city centre
Pictured: Bunk cocktail bar besides a Slam Burger store. Diabetes is heavily linked to obesity and poor diet
There is also a large Taco Bell store in the centre, beside Louisiana fried chicken store Popeyes
MailOnline visited the centre during the day and it was already busy with food delivery drivers collecting takeaway orders to deliver
York, Bracknell Forest, Wandsworth and Oxfordshire also all have rates of less than 6 per cent.
A teenage Uber Eats food delivery cyclist stood outside a fast food store in Leicester said: ‘I am aware that diabetes is very prevalent in the UK, more so here than in European and Asian countries.
The 18-year-old Latvian, who declined to be named, said: ‘I am not a sufferer myself but it is a health problem for many which effects the blood sugar level and has to be controlled by insulin.
‘I think diabetes is associated with fast food, people relying too much on junk food, not listening to health guidelines and not exercising enough.’
The local, gathered with a group of fellow delivery cyclists waiting for their next order, said: ‘I think I’m a bit overweight but I keep fit by cycling for work and eat sensibly.
‘Hopefully I won’t become one of those new statistics.’
