Weight loss advice for those at risk of diabetes

Sir Simon Stevens has announced that people who are at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes will be fast-tracked into the flagship Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention programme.

The NHS England chief executive said that rapid access to the programme will be rolled out following research that revealed those living with diabetes face a significantly higher risk of dying with coronavirus. This has also been highlighted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, following his recovery from the virus.

The programme, which supports people to lose weight and adopt healthier habits, is believed to be the first national initiative of its kind in the world and has already helped hundreds of thousands of people.

The online tool, hosted by Diabetes UK, calculates their risk of developing the condition Type 2 diabetes by answering a series of basic questions including age, weight and ethnicity. If their score comes back as moderate or high, they will now be able to refer themselves to a local Healthier You service for support remotely or online, without having to go through a healthcare professional.

Data shows that a third of people who died in hospital from coronavirus had diabetes.

Stevens said: “The evidence is now in: severe obesity can double your chance of dying from coronavirus. So this pandemic is a call to arms to adopt medically-proven changes in what we eat and how we exercise. That’s why the NHS is going to accelerate its offer to help, including through wide uptake of our Diabetes Prevention programme which helps people shift the pounds, avoid Type 2 diabetes, and also slash the risk of severe coronavirus.”

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This story was first published in digitalhealth.net

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