Sharp rise in type 2 diabetes among people under 40 in UK

Diagnoses up 39% in six years, with condition fuelled by obesity, health inequalities and junk food, study finds

The number of people under 40 being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK has risen 39% in six years, fuelled by soaring obesity levels and cheap junk food.

Britain has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe. Two in three adults are overweight or obese and the NHS spends £6bn a year treating obesity-related ill-health. That is forecast to rise to £10bn a year by 2050.