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Diabetes 'decimating' men with one in ten now suffering from it

British diet habits have become increasingly unhealthy  - ©2017 CAG Photography Ltd +44 1484 519227 +44 7402924840 info@charlottegraham-photography.com
British diet habits have become increasingly unhealthy - ©2017 CAG Photography Ltd +44 1484 519227 +44 7402924840 info@charlottegraham-photography.com

Diabetes is “decimating” men with one in ten now developing the condition, a new report warns.

Health experts said men are now 26 per cent more likely than women to become diabetic, and to suffer far worse consequences after failing to improve their diet, or undergo regular checks.

The report by the Men’s Health Forum says Britain is facing a “national health emergency” as a result of its obesity levels, which are now the worst in Western Europe.

The study shows men are 26 per cent more likely than women to develop diabetes, with 9.6 per cent of men suffering the condition, compared with 7.6 per cent among women.

Men were far more likely to end up suffering complications, with death rates far higher than among women with the condition, the study shows.

Men are more likely to be overweight than women - with 65 per cent overweight in England, compared with 58 per cent of women, and become at risk of diabetes at a lower Body Mass Index than women.

But they are less likely to be aware of weight problems, or to diet, the report found.

Once diagnosed, men were less likely to take care of themselves, the study suggests, with far higher rates of complications.

Men make up more than two thirds of those being treated for foot ulcers, and are twice as likely as women to suffer a major amputation.

Overall, death rates from diabetes among men with the condition were 12.5 per 100,000 men, compared with 8.9 per 100,000 women, the report found.

The charity called for “urgent action” to ensure more men underwent health checks, suggesting they should be offered at football matches, and in other settings men might visit more often than their GP.

 

The UK is close to the top of the OECD obesity charts
The UK is close to the top of the OECD obesity charts

Martin Tod, chief executive of the Men’s Health Forum said: “Men are more likely to get diabetes. More likely to suffer complications.  More likely to face amputation as a result of diabetes. And more likely to die from diabetes.”

“The toxic combination of ever more men being overweight, men getting diabetes at a lower BMI and health services that don’t work well enough for working age men is leading to a crisis,” he said.

Peter Baker, report author, said: “Diabetes has been described as a national health emergency but the burden of the disease on men has not been fully recognised or responded to by health policymakers and practitioners. What’s now urgently needed is an approach that takes full account of sex and gender differences so that both men and women’s outcomes can be improved.”

Pav Kalsi, senior clinical advisor for Diabetes UK said: “What’s clear is that men are more likely to be overweight or obese, and so at higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. So, efforts to increase uptake and engagement of men in weight management will help to reduce both the number of men living with Type 2 diabetes, and diabetes-related complications.

“As men are disproportionately experiencing some worse outcomes, for instance related to foot ulcers and amputations, more research is needed to understand the underlying reasons for this."

Professor Jonathan Valabhji, NHS England’s national clinical director for obesity and diabetes, said: “Men are at a higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes with a lack of exercise, poor diet and being overweight all risk factors to developing Type 2 over time.

"Across the majority of England people at high risk can now get help on the NHS’s diabetes prevention programme, which is seeing almost as many men attend as women - a much higher proportion than usually seen in weight loss programmes.”

Earlier this month an international report found spiralling obesity levels have left Britain the sixth fattest nation in the world, with rates rising faster even than those in the US.

The analysis by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation Development (OECD) shows levels in the UK have risen by 92 per cent in just over two decades - by far the steepest rise among countries with an obesity problem.

Experts said Britain was “sleepwalking” into a health crisis, after aping the US in adopting a ‘supersize’ culture, picked up from watching American television and films.

Mapped England’s obesity hotspots
Mapped England’s obesity hotspots