DIABETES IN MIDDLE AGE CAN SLASH 9 YEARS OFF YOUR LIFE

HAVING diabetes in middle age could take up to a decade off your lifespan, research reveals.

A study of half a million people aged 30 to 79 found that those diagnosed with diabetes lived an average of nine years fewer than non-sufferers.

This rose to 10 years in some rural areas.

The decade-long Chinese study estimated that sufferers aged 50 were almost twice as likely to die over the next 25 years (69 per cent) compared with otherwise similar individuals (38 per cent).

Diabetes was found to raise the risk of dying from chronic kidney disease, chronic liver disease and infection and cancer of the liver, pancreas and breast.

Some four million Britons have diabetes, with around 90 per cent suffering from Type 2.

It is linked to being overweight and doubles the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

It can be avoided by making lifestyle changes such as taking more exercise and eating a healthy diet.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease which cannot currently be cured.

The Oxford University professor who led the Chinese study said while treatment was better in Britain, people still needed to take precautions.

Professor Zhengming Chen said: “In the UK, patients are generally well managed thanks to the healthcare system, which is not the case in China, especially in rural areas.

“There is no need to be unnecessarily alarmed here.

“But people must remember the importance of physical activity and a good diet. It is vital patients listen to their GPs.”

Diabetes UK’s Dr Emily Burns welcomed the findings, published in the journal JAMA.

She said: “We need to take Type 2 diabetes very seriously.”