LONDON

Britain's National Health Service (NHS) spends some $14.5 billion a year on identifying and treating diabetes as more than 900,000 adults at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes have applied for a nationwide health initiative, new figures showed Tuesday.

According to new data, a record 166,360 more adults in England began receiving support last year from the NHS public health initiative, which helps people lose weight and make lifestyle changes to prevent or delay developing Type 2 diabetes.

In a statement, the NHS said more than 900,000 adults at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes have started using the NHS’s Healthier You Program to improve their health, since it was launched in 2016.

Developing Type 2 diabetes can have a devastating impact on people and their families, it warned.

It is also a leading cause of preventable sight loss in people of working age and a major contributor to kidney failure, limb amputation, heart attack, nerve damage, stroke, and many of the most common cancers.

Citing research by Manchester University, the statement noted that completing the Healthier You Program reduces someone’s chance of developing Type 2 diabetes by 37%, and participants typically achieve an average weight loss of 3.3kg.

"Alongside the human cost, the NHS in England typically spends around £10.7 billion (some $14.5 billion) a year on identifying and treating diabetes," it added.

Meanwhile, health leaders urge people to become more aware of their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes during Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week 2025 taking place on May 26-June 1.

Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable through lifestyle changes, said the NHS, adding that around nine out of 10 people with diabetes have Type 2, and there are around 2 million people in England at high risk of developing it.

"We know that prevention is better than treatment, and that tackling the root causes of type 2 diabetes, such as obesity and inactivity, is one of the keys to tackling cardiovascular-related illness," Ashley Dalton, the minister for public health and prevention, said in the statement.