Diabetes UK analysis reveals that diagnoses among those aged under 40 increased by 47 per cent between 2017/18 and 2023/24, compared to an increase of just 22 per cent among women aged between 40 and 79. Obesity rates among women have almost doubled in the UK between 1993 and 2024, rising from 16.4 per cent to 30 per cent - almost one in three. Diabetes UK warns that obesity is a significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes, which is often linked to poor lifestyles and has historically been associated with older people.
Rates of type 2 diabetes are rising twice as fast in younger women than older women amid soaring levels of obesity. Diagnoses among those aged under 40 increased by 47 per cent between 2017/18 and 2023/24, compared to an increase of just 22 per cent among women aged between 40 and 79.
Obesity rates among women have almost doubled in the UK between 1993 and 2024, rising from 16.4 per cent to 30 per cent - almost one in three. Left unmanaged type 2 diabetes can lead to life-altering complications such as heart attacks, strokes, blindness and limb amputations.
Diabetes UK said living with obesity is a significant risk factor, and the number of people living with obesity in the UK - including those in younger age groups - has risen across recent years. It also mentioned genetics, age and ethnicity as factors. The charity has now written to women's health minister Baroness Merron, calling for urgent action to bolster postnatal support for those with gestational diabetes (GD).
GD affects between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of pregnant women and happens when they cannot produce enough insulin, leading to high blood sugar. It usually disappears after birth, although patients face a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Women with GD should be offered HbA1c blood tests to check for diabetes between six and 13 weeks after birth, and then once a year to measure average blood sugar levels.
The first annual gestational diabetes audit showed that only 57 per cent of women had an annual HbA1c test after having GD. Meg, a 33-year-old teacher from Somerset, was diagnosed with gestational diabetes in 2020 and has still not had a postnatal check-up regarding diabetes risks
Type 2 Diabetes Rising Rates Younger Women Obesity Gestational Diabetes Postnatal Support
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