Male diabetes risk

Men are more likely to be diagnosed diabetic, according to a new report

Middle-aged men are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes as women, according to a new report.

A total of 2.4% of men in England aged 35 to 44 have diabetes compared with 1.2% of women of the same age.

This means around 92,960 have the disease, compared with around 47,000 women.

Among those aged 45 to 54, 6% (around 197,050) of men have the disease compared with 3.6% (around 120,670) of women.

Overall, men aged 35 to 54 are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as women, said the study from charity Diabetes UK.

Unhealthy lifestyles

Its report also revealed that cases of diabetes have risen four times faster in men aged 35 to 44 over the last 12 years compared with women of the same age.

Over that time, men have consistently been more overweight than women, which is fuelling their higher rates of Type 2 diabetes.

This type is linked to unhealthy lifestyles, including a lack of exercise and obesity, and accounts for around nine out of 10 cases of the disease.

The other sort of diabetes, Type 1, is not linked to obesity and usually develops in childhood or adolescence.

Simon O'Neill, director of care, information and advocacy at Diabetes UK, said: "It's very worrying that men of this age are developing diabetes at such an alarming rate compared to their female counterparts.

"Most of them will have Type 2 diabetes which is strongly linked to lifestyle and can be prevented in many cases by eating a healthy, balanced diet and doing regular physical activity.

"Women should not rest on their laurels either. They may tend to develop the condition later in life, but the risk of death from heart disease associated with Type 2 diabetes is about 50% greater in women than it is in men - not a statistic to be ignored.

'Take action now'

"Diabetes UK is calling on everyone carrying extra weight to reduce their chances of developing Type 2 diabetes by leading a healthier lifestyle.

"We must take action now to tackle Type 2 diabetes head-on."

Losing weight can reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes in high-risk people by 58%. Exercising can cut the risk by 64%.

A total of 2.5 million people are diagnosed with diabetes in the UK and around 500,000 more have the condition but do not know it.

People over 40 (over 25 if black, Asian or from an ethnic minority group) are at higher risk of the condition, as are people with a large waist or family history of the disease.

Type 2 diabetes can lay undetected for a decade or longer and around half of people already have complications by the time they are diagnosed.

These complications include heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation.