Festive flab puts thousands (including Santa) at risk of type two diabetes

SANTA and thousands of others should take it easy on the mince pies and mulled wine this Christmas, as excessive food and drink consumption during the festive period could lead to weight gain and increase their risk of developing type two diabetes, warns l

Eating too many high-calorie treats such as Christmas cake (around 250 calories per slice), mince pies (about 200 calories each) and mulled wine (approximately 250 calories in a glass) can leave us all struggling to buckle our belts in the New Year—as well as more at risk of type two diabetes.

This Christmas, TV presenter Phillip Schofield is urging people to adopt a healthy lifestyle to help reduce their risk of developing type two diabetes.

He said: “My mother and brother both have diabetes, so I know firsthand how it can impact a person and their family’s life.

“As diabetes runs in my own family I ensure that we try to lead a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing type two diabetes.

“At Christmas, this means we will still have the usual treats like mince pies and Christmas cake, but in moderation.

“We will also try and offset it with a bit more exercise whether it’s a walk in the park or decorating the Christmas tree.”

There are already around 236,700 people diagnosed with diabetes in Yorkshire and Humber and a further estimated 85,000 people have type two diabetes and do not know it.

To reduce your risk of developing it, Diabetes UK recommends a healthy balanced diet that is low in fat, salt and sugar, maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active.

Even a moderate degree of physical activity can reduce your risk of developing type two diabetes by up to 60 per cent.

Similarly, if you reduce your weight by between five and ten per cent, you reduce your risk of developing type two diabetes by 58 per cent.

Linda Wood, regional manager for Diabetes UK Northern and Yorkshire, said: “Christmas is a time of good festive cheer and we certainly don’t want people to deprive themselves and hamper the fun, but it is important for people to enjoy the festive treats as part of a healthy, balanced diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables.

“You could have one mince pie instead of three or have an extra portion of vegetables rather than an extra helping of Christmas pudding.

“People can enjoy themselves at Christmas but still protect their future health. It is well worth saying no when the box of chocolates comes round to you for the fifth time.”

People are more likely to develop type two diabetes if they have a large waist, if they are overweight, over the age of 40, of black or South Asian origin, or have a family history of type two diabetes.

If a person has two or more of these risk factors Diabetes UK recommends they visit their GP for a simple diabetes test.

Diabetes UK is encouraging people to go online and take its new Diabetes risk score test (www.diabetes.org.uk/riskscore) to find out about their risk of developing type two diabetes.

If people are at risk of developing the condition, they can adopt a healthy lifestyle to reduce their risk.

For more information and healthy Christmas recipes, please visit the Diabetes UK website at www.diabetes.org.uk