Professor Joan Taylor, from De Montfort University, warned that most people had already started developing diabetes in their 30s, but said simple changes in eating habits could prevent the deadly condition. Current NHS guidance recommends that carbohydrates should make up just over a third of a balanced diet, but Prof Taylor said that was too high. Speaking at the British Science Festival, he said cutting out food such as bread and potatoes could lead to weight loss – good for reducing the risk of Type 2 diabetes and bringing glucose levels back to normal. The Professor of Pharmacy said: “Given that the NHS recommendation is around 35%, if you can get that down to 10% then not only will you lose weight, which is good for metabolic syndrome and type 2, but glucose in your blood it drops to normal.”
“Most people are at risk”
According to Diabetes UK, in 2021 around 4.1 million people were living with a diagnosis of any type of diabetes. An additional 850,000 had undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. Professor Taylor said many people in their 30s start to gain weight and develop metabolic syndrome, the medical term for a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. He added: “Most people are at risk. Only slim, athletic guys who stay that way into their 30s and 40s aren’t. This is an amazing thing, really.” Diabetes UK says that if nothing changes, 5.5 million people in the UK will have diabetes by 2030.
