An inch or two from diabetes?

Brooks Newmark attended the Diabetes UK awareness day in Parliament yesterday, which aims to highlight waist measurement as a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. Brooks Newmark attended the Diabetes UK awareness day in Parliament yesterday, which aims to highlight waist measurement as a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes UK's Measure Up awareness campaign urges people to grab a tape measure and check their waistline as a quick and easy first step to assess their diabetes risk.

Brooks said, "I am delighted to help spread the word that we all have to measure up. Obesity is an important factor in Type 2 diabetes, which carries significant health risks. Greater awareness of this condition will lead to earlier diagnosis and could save many people from a future of ill health."

Research has shown that a large waist could mean you are up to twelve times more likely to develop diabetes. At risk waist measurements are 37 inches or more for men, and 31.5 inches or more for all women.

The campaign is also urging Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) to be proactive in ensuring that all people with diabetes are diagnosed early to help prevent the life-threatening complications of the condition.

Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK said, "There are 750,000 people in the UK who have diabetes but don't know it - that's equivalent to the entire population of Leeds. Many people don't realise they're at risk and shockingly can go undiagnosed for up to 12 years. The longer people are left undiagnosed, the higher their risk of heart attacks, blindness, kidney failure and amputations."

As part of the Measure Up campaign, the charity is also launching its 'Are you at risk?' online tool, a two minute interactive test, designed to help people understand how high their diabetes risk is. Measure Up aims to make people aware of the risk factors including waist size, weight, age, family history and ethnicity and encourage those with at least two risk factors to get themselves tested.

For further information, please contact: Maria Lam on 020 7424 1166, Sarah Dickinson on 020 7424 1163 or Phaedra Neal on 020 7424 1115. For out of hours queries, contact the duty press officer on 07711 176028.