Affecting over 2 million people in the UK, Diabetes is a chronic condition that develops slowly - this means that there are many more people who have the condition but don't realize it.

Although there is a genetic component to Diabetes, the main trigger is obesity - over 80% of sufferers of type 2 Diabetes are overweight.

Diabetes occurs when your blood sugar level is too high. This can occur if your body does not make enough insulin, a hormone responsible for transporting glucose out of the blood and into cells, where it is broken down to produce energy.

There are two types of Diabetes:

Type 1 (insulin-dependent): The body produces little or no insulin, so the patient must check their levels of glucose regularly. Also known as juvenile or early onset, because it usually develops before the age of 40, frequently in teenagers.
Type 2 (non-insulin dependent): The body does not make enough insulin, or cannot use it properly - also known as insulin resistance. This is usually linked with obesity and typically occurs in people over the age of 40. however, with the growing obesity in the UK population, particularly among young people, Type 2 is now becoming common throughout the population.