Around 90 percent of Diabetic Patients in Britain are Obese: NHS

About 90 percent of diabetic patients in Britain are overweight or obese, according to health officials.

Type-2 diabetes or diabetes mellitus affects nearly 3.2 million U.K. citizens and in a majority of these the condition is related to obesity. Yet, the disease remains undiagnosed in more than 850,000 people.  

The experts from the Department of Health in the U.K. warn the figure is likely to increase from 7.3 percent in 2012 to 8.8 percent within 2030.  Alarmed by these findings, officials from the National Health Services (NHS) recommend overweight adults aged between 40 and 74 to undergo regular health checkups and screening tests to protect against diabetes, heart diseases and kidney failures, reports the  Daily Mail.

During 2009, the Department of Health successfully averted nearly 1,600 cardiac arrests and strokes, 650 early deaths caused by chronic health issues and over 4,000 new cases of diabetes. The researchers call upon the need for monitoring dietary and lifestyle habits to prevent occurrence of life-threatening diseases. The NHS Health Check conducted last year screened almost 1.3 million diabetic patients in the country. The agency officials believe in taking preventive measures by raising awareness and educating public about the health implications of obesity and related conditions. The Public Health England (PHE) is reportedly launching its diabetes awareness program and the annual diabetes week.

"With Type 2 diabetes becoming more common, the NHS Health Check presents an opportunity for individuals to take steps earlier, such as weight control, to prevent or even reverse diabetes in its early stages," said Kevin Fenton, the PHE's director of health and wellbeing, reports the Daily Mail.

"It is important that those eligible take up the offer of an NHS Health Check so their risk of serious, but potentially avoidable conditions, can be assessed, leading to early intervention."

These programs mainly focus in improving level of physical activity, cutting down intake of fatty food and identifying at risk patients.

"The urgent challenge is not simply to tell the over 40s to have a health check to get treatment for the rest of their lives, but most importantly to deal with prevention early in life," said Neville Rigby of the International Obesity Forum, reports the Daily Mail.

"And the 3.2 million diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is just the tip of the iceberg given Britain continues to have an unhealthy diet and little is really being done to introduce effective measures to combat this.