NICE issue obesity, diabetes guidelines

The health watchdog that serves the government, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), has released a series of guidelines with the aim of preventing and treating obesity . In order to develop the guidelines, NICE worked with Diabetes UK.
NICE estimate that by 2010 a third of adults and almost a fifth of children under the age of 15 could face obesity. The watchdog will send their guidance document to schools, local authorities, employers, town planners, and professionals in the NHS.
Jemma Edwards, the Care Advisor at Diabetes UK, said: “Ten years ago Type 2 diabetes in children was unheard of in the UK. Now we have over a thousand cases, which will keep increasing if the obesity trend isn’t reversed. We welcome this much-needed guidance. Now it is down to people on the street, teachers, nurses, employers and parents to play their part in shifting attitudes to combat this epidemic.
She said: “Junk food advertising to kids must be banned and a much firmer line needs to be taken to force the food industry to adhere to food labeling guidelines so people know what’s in the food they buy. Healthy lifestyles must be at the heart of future generations. Otherwise we will see our children growing up suffering from the complications of diabetes like heart disease, blindness and kidney failure.”