HEALTH MATTERS

DR Paul Bowen, GP with McIlvride Medical Practice, Poynton, and GP Chair of NHS Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).

Did you know that around one in 20 people in Eastern Cheshire has diabetes and that the number is increasing all the time?

And did you know that more than 90 per cent of those people have Type 2 diabetes, which is almost entirely preventable?

There are also around 1 in 34 people in Eastern Cheshire with diagnosed pre-diabetes, with a huge percentage of the population that have not yet been diagnosed.

That’s why the CCG has introduced the Eastern Cheshire Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme service. Its aim is to help people at risk of diabetes to lead healthier lives. Every year, type 2 diabetes costs the NHS £8.8bn, or almost 10 per cent of its budget. It also causes around 22,000 avoidable premature deaths in England every year. It is also a leading cause of preventable sight loss in people of working age and is a major contributor to kidney failure, heart attack and stroke.

Did you know that Type 2 diabetes symptoms can develop gradually? You may have become used to being thirsty and tired. Perhaps you have developed blurred vision or frequent infections, such as thrush. Maybe you have had no symptoms but you feel that you are in one of the high risk groups and would like to know more.

To see if you are at risk, you can take a quick easy quiz on the Diabetes UK website at riskscore. diabetes.org.uk/start. If you are concerned that you may be at risk of diabetes, then you should contact your GP practice and request a blood test.

The most common symptoms are:

Being thirsty a lot of the time; passing large amounts of urine; tiredness; and weight loss.

You can reduce your risk of Type 2 diabetes significantly by losing weight, increasing physical activity and improving your diet.

The key is to find what works for you, fits in with your day and you enjoy. 1. Set clear goals. Think about what you want to do to eat better and move more, why it’s important to you and how you will achieve your goals. 2. Be creative. Eating healthily doesn’t have to be boring.

Take the opportunity to try new recipes and new food, go to diabetes. org.uk/guide-to-diabetes/ recipes for more information.

3. Sleep at least seven hours a night.

Get a good night’s sleep. Research has shown that if you are tired you feel hungrier and are more likely to want fatty and sugary foods.

This can make it harder to stick to your goals.

The website details for the diabetes prevention service are preventing -diabetes.co.uk/.

Other websites that can help you include lets -dothis.org.uk/, nhs.uk/ change4life and nhs.uk/ livewell.