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.