Cases of diabetes have risen by more than 145,000 in a year and eight out of ten people with the condition are overweight or obese at the time of diagnosis.

With 2.6 million people registered as diabetic and 5.2 million registered as clinically obese, statistics released by the charity Diabetes UK show that one in ten people are having treatment for obesity and one in twenty for diabetes.

The charity has highlighted an unhealthy lifestyle and poor diet as the causes for the increase in the number of people developing diabetes.

Douglas Smallwood, chief executive of Diabetes UK, said: “These latest figures are extremely worrying. Diabetes is a serious condition that causes heart disease, stroke, amputations, kidney failure and , blindness and more deaths than breast and prostate cancer combined.

Many, but not all, people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Therefore, we need to do all we can to raise awareness of diabetes and help people understand how following a balanced diet and leading an active lifestyle can help reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

If we don’t stop the rising tides of obesity and diabetes, millions will face a future of ill health and put an ever-growing strain on NHS resources.”

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