DIABETES: WARNING SIGNS PREDIABETES IS A GROWING HEALTH ISSUE IN THE UK LINKED TO HIGH BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS AND UNHEALTHY LIFESTYLE CHOICES - AND YOU MAY BE AT RISK WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT W ere you aware that as many as one in three adults in England - 35.3% - are at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes? They have what is known as prediabetes, where blood sugar levels are above average, but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. Guest editor Gloria Hunniford found out she had this warning sign after being treated for a nasty knife cut. Gloria's blood tests revealed a few spikes in her blood sugar levels and her doctor advised her to cut down on carbs and sugar - or risk getting the condition. Life-threatening Type 2 diabetes can strike at any age. This progressive disease occurs when your pancreas no longer produces enough insulin, a hormone that allows your body to turn sugar from food into energy. Without insulin, blood sugar levels would soon become dangerously high. The much rarer Type 1 is not related to lifestyle. It occurs when the body's immune system attacks and destroys those insulin-producing cells. It usually appears in childhood. 100 | NOVEMBER 2016 If a close blood relative has Type 1 diabetes, you have around a 6% chance of developing it. It is estimated that there are around 630,000 people in the UK who have Type 2 diabetes, but have not yet had it diagnosed. In England and Wales, 58.7% of those with Type 1 diabetes and 38.1% with Type 2 diabetes do not receive the annual health checks they need to manage their condition effectively. Obesity is the most significant risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes, accounting for 80-85% of the overall risk of developing the condition. It is estimated globally that one in two adults with Type 2 diabetes is undiagnosed.