Diabetes in the News : Are you sleepwalking into a diabetes diagnosis ?

"Most 30-somethings are sleepwalking into a diabetes diagnosis because they are eating 3 TIMES more potatoes and bread than needed, an expert says

• Professor Joan Taylor, of De Montfort University, blamed current NHS guidance
• It states that carbohydrates should make up just over a third of what we eat
• Speaking at the British Science Festival, she called for it to be cut to just 10%

Most people in their 30s could unknowingly be on the way to developing diabetes because of society's carb-heavy diets, a top expert warned today.

Professor Joan Taylor, a diabetes expert at Leicester's De Montfort University, blamed current NHS nutrition guidance.

It states that carbohydrates — such as potatoes, bread and rice — should make up just over a third of what we eat.

But speaking at the British Science Festival, Professor Taylor called for this to be cut to just 10 per cent.

Eating less starchy foods could result in people losing weight – drastically slashing the risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

It will also help blood sugar levels come 'down to normal'.

Starchy carbs tend to be calorie-dense, which is why they have been vilified over the past few decades.

Professor Taylor said: 'If you can cut it down to 10 per cent, bearing in mind that the NHS recommendation is about 35 per cent, then not only will you lose weight, which is a good thing for metabolic syndrome and type 2, but your blood glucose comes down to normal.'

Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not make enough insulin, or if the insulin it makes doesn't work properly — leading to high blood sugar levels.

Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to blindness and leave patients needing their limbs amputated or in a coma.

The condition affects roughly 4.5million Britons and more than 30m Americans.

But hundreds of thousands are feared to be unknowingly walking around with the condition.

Unlike type 1 diabetes, which is genetic, type 2 diabetes is mainly (but not always) driven by obesity. 

Professor Taylor said: 'If you talk to diabetologists, they will tell you that most people from their 30s onwards... are beginning to put on the kind of weight these days that means then moving into the metabolic syndrome, that then is a route to diabetes."

Words above and more to read at article here

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Please note that articles within this blog are provided for general information only and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.


All the best Jan