Obesity epidemic will increase heart attacks in diabetics

Britain’s obesity epidemic will cause the number of heart attacks, strokes and angina and heart failure cases among people with diabetes to rise by more than 20 per cent to 380,000 by 2035, forecasts suggest.

The number of heart attacks among diabetics is forecast to rise by 9,000 to 39,000. In addition, more than 50,000 are predicted to suffer a stroke – an increase of 11,000 – with almost 145,000 cases of angina and 146,000 of heart failure among sufferers, up by 32,000 and 33,000 respectively.

The British Heart Foundation produced the forecasts. Chief executive Simon Gillespie called for “bold action” including regulatory limits on sugar and fat levels in food.