NEW analysis released today shows that Bradford City has the highest number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in Yorkshire and England as a whole.

Diabetes UK revealed 10.81 per cent of Bradfordians - equalling more than 12,000 people - are diagnosed with diabetes with the national average standing at 6.9 per cent.

The organisation believes that, at this rate, the number of people with diabetes in the UK, including the undiagnosed population, is expected to rise to 5.3million by 2025. While not every case of type 2 diabetes is associated with excessive weight, it is responsible for 80 to 85 per cent of someone’s risk of developing the condition.

Age, family history, and ethnicity can also contribute to someone’s risk, with people of African-Caribbean, Black African or South Asian descent two to four times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than white people.

Clare Howarth, Head of the North of England at Diabetes UK, said: “Type 2 diabetes is an urgent public health crisis, and solving it depends on decisive action that’s led by government, supported by industry and delivered across our society.

“More than half of all cases of type 2 diabetes − and the accompanying risk of developing devastating complications − could be prevented or delayed by supporting people to make healthier choices. This includes mandating industry to make food and drinks healthier and addressing the marketing and promotion of unhealthy foods.

“At the same time, we need to help people understand their personal risk of type 2 diabetes and find tailored clinical support to reduce it. The Government promised to tackle obesity, and it’s time for them deliver on this promise, and lead the way in affecting real change. Preventing type 2 diabetes, and the development of devastating complications for those living with the condition has to be a public health priority.”