WHY YOUR OLD JEANS ARE NO GUIDE TO YOUR HEALTH

EVERY so often a health claim doing the rounds makes my blood boil. Last week it was if you can’t fit into the jeans you wore when you were 21, you’re going to get type 2 diabetes.

The claim was extrapolated from casual comments made by Professor Roy Taylor, one of the UK’s leading diabetes experts, when he presented the results of a study.

While excess fat around the tummy and waist is particularly risky for developing the disease, I wouldn’t recommend aiming to get back to the condition you were in in your 20s. I don’t know about you, but many people I knew aged 21 were the opposite of healthy – drinking too much and eating far too little.

It’s a shame this is what the reports focused on, given the remarkable results of Prof Taylor’s work, which showed that even those who aren’t classed as overweight can control diabetes by losing a bit of weight through diet and exercise.

Keep your old jeans in the cupboard, where they belong.