WORLD
It`s not just fat people. Slim and healthy can get diabetes, too
Baku, August 27 (AZERTAC). Most people associate type 2 diabetes with obesity — gorging on fatty foods and doing little or no exercise.
This was confirmed last week by the news that obese people put on a strict 600-calorie-a-day diet were able to reverse the condition.
But while there is no denying being significantly overweight is a key risk factor, one in five with the condition is not obese, with many leading healthy lifestyles.
The problem is that the stereotype of the type 2 diabetes sufferer means that as many as one million people may be going undiagnosed simply because they do not believe they are in a high-risk group.
Experts warn that invisible internal fat around vital organs could be placing this group at risk.
Type 2 diabetes is one of the greatest health care challenges facing Britain.
The cost to the NHS of treating the 2.5 million people diagnosed with the condition is £3.5 billion a year.
And this is set to balloon, with the number of those affected predicted to double over the next ten years.