Diabetes survey has UK worried

In the same way that Americans don't understand the health risks of obesity, residents in the UK don't seem to be too worried about diabetes.

According to a recent poll conducted by Asda Pharmacy, about 55 percent of people in the UK are not concerned with developing diabetes. Even worse, one in 10 people of the 2,000 surveyed said they didn't know what diabetes is.

"It is worrying to discover people still aren't clued up to the causes of diabetes, especially when statistics from Diabetes UK and the NHS prove we're a nation at risk," said Faisal Tuddy, deputy superintendent pharmacist at Asda.

A nation in trouble

In the UK alone, there are about 3.7 million people who have diabetes. Another 850,000 people are estimated to have type 2 diabetes but not know it.

In the poll, about 41 percent of people in both South and North England said they aren't concerned about the disease, and one in three people in the Midlands and Welsh areas said the same thing.

Tuddy notes the importance of early detection and consistent screening, especially if you have risk factors such as obesity or a family member with the disease.

"We offer free blood glucose screening and advice to our shoppers, which can help indicate the likelihood someone has, or is at risk of developing diabetes in the future," said Tuddy.

Source: Belfast Telegraph