# Increase in Diabetes in UK



## MarcLister (Feb 24, 2009)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7905734.stm


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## vince13 (Feb 24, 2009)

*I'm NOT fat !*

Here we go again - "all diabetics have only themselves to blame - because they're ALL fat couch potatoes" !!

I thought some of this had been put to rest by the recent campaign against the wording on the Govt posters about diabetes but this does seem to be the prejudice a lot of people have against diabetics.

I still think the reporting this morning on radio and TV gave the impression that fat=diabetes for us all.

Rant over !  Good morning everyone !!


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## Copepod (Feb 24, 2009)

*Have Your Say option*

The BBC website link supplied by Marc has a "Have Your Say" box at the bottom of the page - so, over to you...


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## kincaidston (Feb 24, 2009)

they are running a similar news report on radio 1 at the moment and to be honest they are very clear to stress that it is type 2 diabetes


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## sofaraway (Feb 24, 2009)

I was half asleep this morning but my other half had BBC breakfast on whilst getting ready for work and I heard them keep referring to TYpe 2 diabetes, so they were obviously careful to make the differences.


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## Corrine (Feb 24, 2009)

The other thing to think about in my opinion is around the 'explosion' of type 2 diagnosis.  Is it really because (according to the media) we are all unhealthy couch potatoes or is it because the NHS experts have worked out that the sooner it is diagnosed the easier it is for all concerned - ie it will save the NHS money in terms of less complications down the line.  Maybe they are just quicker in picking it up and perhaps are more willing to diagnose earlier hence the 'explosion'?  Still dont like the sterotype tho - even though I do fit it rather well


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## Freddie99 (Feb 24, 2009)

I first heard of this listening to the daily doom and gloom at 7 am on radio four. Not good. I might just have to use the have your say box. Time to get this sort of thing sorted. Nice to know that the media are doing so well to help diabetics. Like hell.

Tom H


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## Dizzydi (Feb 24, 2009)

*I'm not fat either*

Maybe the news need to give a little bit more info on Diabetes when they report - especially when they are saying most Type 2 are obese at diagnosis.

'I was not' - I've got the sod's law version it is in the family!!

Maybe from now on when the media report and they are not strictly correct everyone on here email's them to complain and then hopefully the penny with eventually drop and they start reporting correctly i.e. what type 1 is how it works or does not work and how it affects the body and also type 2 again how it works or does not work etc.

I must admit though most of the time I ignore reports - so what I am diabetic - my life rocks !!


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## vince13 (Feb 24, 2009)

Raysalaff said:


> Ah!! So there is a prejudice between Type1 and Type 2, even on here the Type ones are quick to say it?s not us that are fat, we must stress that clearly!



No, Raysalaff - my earlier rant DID say we are often ALL portrayed in the media as having diabetes through eating poorly, not enough exercise etc.  I was diagnosed last year firstly as a Type 2 ('cos I'm old !) then adjusted to a LADA or Type 1.5 (because my pancreas is packing up) so I guess I would fall foul of everyone else who is keeping themselves smugly to a type 1 or type 2 as you appear to suggest -  but honestly I haven't picked up any Type 1's saying "I'm better than a Type 2" on here (or vice versa) or am I just being blind to these insinuations ?

I thought we all had the same problems with diabetes whatever sort we have and I have picked up so many good points on here - so we don't feel there's a great distinction - or have I missed something ?


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## Copepod (Feb 24, 2009)

Please read the report before "Having Your Say". News reports are always short, but the ones I've heard today on Radio 4 have distinguished between the types of diabetes, and certainlt not implied that Type 1 is "self inflicted" - although silent on the issue that not all Type 2 is "self inflicted", either. The web report that started this thread, is very clear: 
"Of more than 42,642 people who were newly diagnosed with the disease between 1996 and 2005, just over 1,250 had the inherited "insulin-dependent" type 1 diabetes, and more than 41,000 had later-onset type 2 disease, which is linked to lifestyle. 
While the numbers of new cases of type 1 diabetes remained fairly constant over the decade, the numbers of new cases of type 2 diabetes did not. 
These shot up from 2.60 to 4.31 cases per 1,000 patient years, equivalent to an increase of 69% over the decade. 
The researchers from Spain and Sweden who analysed the data from almost five million medical records say the trends are not due to increased screening or the UK's ageing population, but from rising obesity rates." 
"Over the course of the study, the proportion of patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who were obese increased by a fifth."

In epidemiology, certain terms, such as rates, incidence, prevalence etc have very specific meanings - it took a whole term of half day of lectures & computer statistics practicals per week during my MSc. Unfortunately, very few journalists have that kind of training.


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## Lizzie (Feb 24, 2009)

I disagree with the blaming attitude towards fat people. If you are fat, especially if you are "obese", you generally are aware of it. People telling you that your fat is self inflicted and that any illness you develop is your fault, can only be damaging as far as I can see. If you are ill, especially with diabetes which demands big changes in eating and a lot of determination to manage it day to day, you feel scared and vulnerable. Blaming people for their weight or for their diabetes will only make it harder to make these changes. People will feel they *have* to do things, they will exercise under sufferance and not enjoy it. I do not see how this can be a constructive approach.


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## MarcLister (Feb 24, 2009)

Crikey, didn't expect so many replies! The title and introductory paragraph don't really distinguish between Type 1 and 2 enough for me. I'm not trying to split Types 1 and 2 by saying Type 2s are obese. The actual figures however show that between 96 and 05 1,250 or so of the 42,000 new cases of diabetes were Type 1 so really the article title should have mentioned Type 2 as this is the type that is increasing exponentially.


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## mikep1979 (Feb 24, 2009)

i wouldnt say im predjudice against type 2 as i have my mum and auntie who are type 2 and i would fight for their rights as much as mine. what we are sayin on here is that the media sensationalise all reports to make it "good reporting" without all the facts. it wasnt just type 2 they were talking about as they also said type 1's had it due to inheriting it. now this is complete bull s**t!!!!!! sorry for the language but i did not inherit my diabetes at all!!!! if they got it right we wouldnt have so many stupid and predjudice people out there who didnt understand the problems we can face!!!!!


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## Faceman (Feb 24, 2009)

It annoyed me what that GP said on the breakfast news this morning.  She said that some Type 2 Diabetics if they lose weight they can get rid of Diabetes.  I completely disagree.  You never get rid of diabetes.  Granted you might be able to get near normal levels but I thought you never got rid of diabetes.  Is this a inappropriate statemtn to make?


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