Most Thirtysomethings Sleepwalk and Diagnose Diabetes Because They Eat 3 TIMES More Potatoes and Bread Than They Need, Expert Says
- Professor Joan Taylor, from De Montfort University, blamed the current orientation of the NHS
- It states that carbohydrates should make up a little more than a third of what we eat.
- Speaking at the British Science Festival, he called for it to be reduced to just 10%
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Most people in their 30s could unknowingly be on their way to developing diabetes due to society’s high-carbohydrate diets, a leading expert warned today.
Professor Joan Taylor, a diabetes expert at De Montfort University in Leicester, blamed the current nutritional guidance from the NHS.
It states that carbohydrates, such as potatoes, bread, and rice, should make up a little more than a third of what we eat.
But speaking at the British Science Festival, Professor Taylor called for this to be reduced to just 10 per cent.
Professor Joan Taylor, a diabetes expert at De Montfort University in Leicester, blamed the current nutritional guidance from the NHS. She states that carbohydrates, such as potatoes, bread, and rice, should make up a little more than a third of what we eat. But speaking at the British Science Festival, Professor Taylor called for this to be reduced to just 10 per cent.
Eating fewer starchy foods could cause people to lose weight, dramatically lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes.
It will also help blood sugar levels “come down to normal.”
Starchy carbohydrates tend to be calorie-dense, which is why they’ve been vilified in recent decades.
Professor Taylor said: “If you can get it down to 10 per cent, bearing in mind that the NHS recommendation is around 35 per cent, then not only will you lose weight, which is good for metabolic syndrome and type 2, but your blood glucose level normalizes.’
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce enough insulin, or if the insulin it does produce does not work properly, leading to high blood sugar levels.
Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to blindness and leave patients requiring limb amputation or in a coma.
The condition affects approximately 4.5 million Britons and more than 30 million Americans.
But it is feared that hundreds of thousands are unknowingly walking around with the condition.
Unlike type 1 diabetes, which is genetic, type 2 diabetes is primarily due to obesity. It is also reversible with a healthy lifestyle.
Professor Taylor said: “If you talk to diabetologists, they will tell you that most people from the age of 30… are starting to gain the kind of weight these days that means moving on to metabolic syndrome, which is then a route to diabetes
Most people are at risk.
“Only the skinny, athletic guys who stay that way into their 30s and 40s aren’t.
‘That’s an amazing thing, really.’
Metabolic syndrome is the medical term for a combination of diabetes, high blood pressure (hypertension), and obesity.
Diabetes UK estimates that one in three adults in the UK have prediabetes, meaning their blood glucose levels are above normal but below the threshold for a diagnosis of diabetes.
About 90 percent of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes, about 8 percent have type 1 diabetes, and about 2 percent have rarer types of diabetes.
NHS England suggests that the service spends around £10bn a year on diabetes, around 10 per cent of its entire budget.
Research has shown that for some people, diet, physical activity, and sustained weight loss can be effective in reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes by about 50 percent.
HOW SHOULD A BALANCED DIET BE LIKE?
Meals should be based on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains, according to the NHS.
• Eat at least 5 servings of a variety of fruits and vegetables every day. All fresh, frozen, dried and canned fruits and vegetables count
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates, ideally whole grains.
• 30 grams of fiber per day: This is the same as eating all of the following: 5 servings of fruits and vegetables, 2 whole-grain crackers, 2 thick slices of whole-grain bread, and a large baked potato with skin.
• Drink some dairy products or dairy alternatives (such as soy beverages) choosing low-fat and low-sugar options.
• Eat some beans, legumes, fish, eggs, meat and other protein (including 2 servings of fish a week, one of which should be fatty)
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and consume them in small amounts.
• Drink 6 to 8 cups/glasses of water a day
• Adults should have less than 6 g of salt and 20 g of saturated fat for women or 30 g for men per day
Font: NHS Eatwell Guide
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