Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sharp rise in diabetes among people under 40, says report

The new figures from Diabetes UK show that cases of type 2 diabetes among under-40s have increased to 168,000 from 120,000 in 2016/17

Sharp rise in diabetes among people under 40, says report

With two in three adults overweight in the UK, there has been a 39 per cent rise in the number of people under 40 being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the last six years, according to media reports.

The new figures from Diabetes UK show that cases of type 2 diabetes among under-40s have increased to almost 168,000 from 120,000 in 2016/17.


Diagnoses are rising at a significantly faster pace than among over-40s, for whom the increase was 25 per cent in six years, and people from black and South Asian backgrounds are at a greater risk.

Diabetes UK chief executive Colette Marshall said the rise in type 2 diabetes among children and young adults was alarming and called on ministers to urgently address the crisis.

She said the changes in food habits over the last 25 years was taking a toll on our health. They are increasingly high in fat, salt and sugar.

This combined with genetic factors and stark inequalities was driving up obesity and increasing diabetes risk, she added.

The report blamed “gross inequalities”, with people from the most deprived areas and those from black and South Asian backgrounds more likely to develop the condition.

It said that ultra-processed foods and products high in fat, sugar and salt had become “normalised” in children’s diets, with poorer parents powerless to curb them.

It said people faced a more aggressive and acute form of diabetes when it developed at a younger age. They are at an increased risk of falling prey to heart and kidney ailments, sight loss and even an early death, it added.

The report said thousands are living with the condition undiagnosed. Analysis suggests half of the people aged 16 to 44 with type 2 diabetes are unaware they have it.

The report warned about the growing impact on the economy, with 43,000 people out of work as a result of long-term sickness “primarily because of their diabetes, a 79 per cent increase since 2019”.

The number of people living with diabetes in the UK now tops 5 million.

Health minister Andrew Stephenson said the government was committed to tackling the causes and effects of type 2 diabetes.

He said the government has reduced sugar in everyday foods, introduced mandatory calorie labelling on menus, and expanded the NHS soups and shakes programme to help thousands more people.

However, shadow health secretary Wes Streeting has attacked the Conservatives for being soft on junk food advertising.

Britain has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe and the NHS spends £6 billion a year treating obesity-related ill-health.

More For You

​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

We are living faster than ever before

AMG

​Dilemmas of dating in a digital world

Shiveena Haque

Finding romance today feels like trying to align stars in a night sky that refuses to stay still

When was the last time you stumbled into a conversation that made your heart skip? Or exchanged a sweet beginning to a love story - organically, without the buffer of screens, swipes, or curated profiles? In 2025, those moments feel rarer, swallowed up by the quickening pace of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
Camellia Panjabi's cookbook elevates
vegetables from sides to stars

Camellia Panjabi (Photo: Ursula Sierek)

Camellia Panjabi's cookbook elevates vegetables from sides to stars

RESTAURATEUR and writer Camellia Panjabi puts the spotlight on vegetables in her new book, as she said they were never given the status of a “hero” in the way fish, chicken or prawns are.

Panjabi’s Vegetables: The Indian Way features more than 120 recipes, with notes on nutrition, Ayurvedic insights and cooking methods that support digestion.

Keep ReadingShow less
Spotting the signs of dementia

Priya Mulji with her father

Spotting the signs of dementia

How noticing the changes in my father taught me the importance of early action, patience, and love

I don’t understand people who don’t talk or see their parents often. Unless they have done something to ruin your lives or you had a traumatic childhood, there is no reason you shouldn’t be checking in with them at least every few days if you don’t live with them.

Keep ReadingShow less
HH Guruji performed the Dhwaja Ritual at Ambaji Temple

HH Guruji performed the Dhwaja Ritual at Ambaji Temple

Mahesh Liloriya

The holy town of Ambaji witnessed a spiritually significant day on Sunday as His Holiness Siri Rajrajeshwar Guruji, head of the International Siddhashram Shakti Centre, London, performed the Dhwaja ritual at the historic Ambaji Temple in Gujarat, one of the most revered Shakti Peeths of India.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eco-friendly Ganesh Utsav at Harrow’s Siddhashram Shakti Centre

Eco-friendly Ganesh Utsav at Harrow’s Siddhashram Shakti Centre

Mahesh Liloriya

The International Siddhashram Shakti Centre in Harrow witnessed an inspiring and environmentally responsible celebration of Ganesh Utsav 2025, which concluded on Saturday, 6 September, with the Ganesh Visarjan ritual performed on the sacred occasion of Anant Chaturdashi.

Keep ReadingShow less