According to Diabetes UK about 90% of people in the UK with diabetes have type 2, leaving only 10% with type 1. So what are the causes of type 2 diabetes? To be able to live we all need insulin. Insulin allows glucose in our blood to enter our cells to give us energy.

However, if you have type 2 diabetes the body breaks down carbohydrates into glucose but because the insulin does not work correctly, it releases more insulin. This can cause the pancreas of some people who have type 2 to diabetes tire out and cause their body to make less and less insulin. As a result this causes even higher blood glucose levels.

So what happens when your body can’t get enough glucose into its cells? You’ll start to show symptoms. The most common is tiredness due to the lack of energy from not getting glucose in your cells. A lot of people don’t experience symptoms but some others experience needing to pee a lot, feeling extremely thirsty, cuts healing slowly, and contacting infections such as thrush. Diabetes UK say that some people live with type 2 diabetes for up to 10 years before being diagnosed.

THE COMPLICATIONS OF DIABETES

Having diabetes can cause complications in other parts of your body. Over a long period of time, high glucose levels in your blood can cause serious damage to your:

• heart
• eyes
• feet
• kidneys

New figures coming from Diabetes UK, have shown the number of children and young people up to age 25 in the UK that have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is 6,836. These figures are shocking because type 2 diabetes had previously been virtually unknown in young people. But why is this and how do you know if you’re at risk of getting type 2 diabetes?

ARE YOU AT HIGHER RISK?

• Your risk increases with age. You’re more at risk if you’re white and over 40 or over 25 if you’re African-Caribbean, Black African, or Asian.
• You’re two to six times more likely to get Type 2 diabetes if you have a parent, brother, sister or child with diabetes.
• Type 2 diabetes is two to four times more likely in people of South Asian descent and African-Caribbean or Black African descent.
• You’re more at risk if you’ve ever had high blood pressure.
• You’re more at risk of type 2 diabetes if you’re overweight, especially if you’re large around the middle.

The main cause of people developing type 2 diabetes is because of bad lifestyle choices. An unhealthy lifestyle with poor diet is causing more people to become overweight or obese. This is giving them a much higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

A STUDY BY THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION FOUND THAT:

• 58% of women were obese or overweight.
• 68% of men were obese or overweight.
• 1 in 5 children were obese or overweight.
• 1 in 3 children were obese or overweight.
• 617,000 admissions to the NHS where obesity was recorded as a factor in 2017, up 18% on 2015/16.
• 26% of adults are obese.

These are worrying statistics but you can lower your chances of developing type 2 diabetes by changing your lifestyle. You can reduce your risk by maintaining a healthy weight, eating a well-balanced diet and being more active. You can be prediabetic and turn things around to avoid becoming diabetic. Randox has helped clients do so by identifying prediabetics with our preventive health checks.

RANDOX HEALTH

Randox Health packages will give you a comprehensive look into your health, not only now but how it could look in the future. We’ve helped previous clients overcome being prediabetic and change their future health. We can help you if you have any worries about being prediabetic or if you have any other health concerns.

Contact a member of our team today to make a booking or for more information. Call 0800 2545 130.