State urged to tackle diabetes time bomb

Health Minister James Reilly must persist with plans to tackle fizzy drink and confectionery lobby groups if he is to prevent the health service from being “overwhelmed” with a growing diabetes crisis.

The call was made by UCC diet specialist, Prof Ivan Perry, after research found one in 10 people over the age of 45 will have either diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes by the end of the decade.

According to a major Institute of Public Health in Ireland analysis of the growing medical time bomb, by 2020 more than 175,000 people aged 45 or older — 9.1% of this group — will suffer from the potentially lethal blood sugar illness.

This compares to a current diagnosed diabetes rate of 92,000 — 6.2% — in the group.

Among adults aged 18-44 diagnosed diabetes rates are also set to jump from 106,000 (3.2%) to 136,000 (3.8%) within eight years.

A recent national study also estimated that one in every three diabetes cases in Ireland is undiagnosed, posing significant future health problems for those affected.

As such, Prof Perry has urged Dr Reilly to stick to his guns on issues such as taxing fizzy drink school vending machines and introducing a calorie count for all restaurant menus — both of which have come in for criticism from commercial groups.

“We are currently in the grip of a global epidemic of obesity and type 2 diabetes.

“Ireland is clearly not immune from this phenomenon which has the potential to overwhelm health services over the next decade.

“Most people now understand the causes of obesity and diabetes. Unfortunately, knowledge alone does not change behaviour,” said the lecturer at UCC’s health and diet research centre.

“In the past, we have overemphasised the issue of personal choice and responsibility in the area of diet, physical activity and health, and largely ignored the need to change both our food environment and the physical environment in ways that will support healthy choices through public policy.

“In this context, the current Government proposal for increased taxation on sugar sweetened soft drinks is critical,” he stressed.

The IPHI findings are based on a detailed analysis of the 2007 SLÁN national health survey by the group, UCC and the centre of excellence for public health in Northern Ireland, based at Queen’s University, Belfast.

Dr Anna Clarke, health promotion and research manager with patient support group Diabetes Ireland, said the findings must be taken seriously if early detection, and effective management of a serious medical problem is to occur.

The research was published just days after it emerged Dr Reilly’s initial plans to ban fizzy drink vending machines from second level schools have been rejected by his Government-appointed special action group on obesity.

The group concluded that schools would be unable to operate fully without the €1.3m in private drinks and confectionery company money the machines provide to the sector every year.