Leeds woman Mabel in national NHS diabetes campaign ad

A woman who successful tackled her risk of developing type 2 diabetes is taking part in a national NHS campaign to raise awareness of the condition.
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Mabel Oikelome, 62 and from Leeds, was told she was borderline diabetic after a routine blood test at her GP surgery revealed hypertension and high cholesterol.

After realising she was at risk of developing the condition, which affects several of her family members, she took part in the city's The Healthier You programme.

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The scheme is designed to help patients adapt their lifestyles and lose weight with a view to reducing the risk of diabetes or avoiding it altogether.

Mabel OikelomeMabel Oikelome
Mabel Oikelome

After taking part and turning her health around, Mrs Oikelome has been featured in a national NHS diabetes campaign advert.

She said: “The weight loss was slow at first. I felt a little discouraged and fell back into old habits momentarily, but then I reminded myself of my other family members, including my brother who has type 2 diabetes and I said, 'You’ll do yourself serious harm'."

"Thankfully, I got back on the wagon by cutting down on sugary things and moving around more.”

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"When I went to the doctors for a check-up, they confirmed that I’d lost five kilos and my cholesterol was much improved."

More than 5m people in England and around 37,000 in Leeds are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

By 2034, it’s estimated that one in 10 people will have the condition, with people of south Asian or Caribbean ancestry particularly at risk.

Leeds health bosses have warned that tackling the condition could take up 15 per cent of the city's entire health budget.

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Dr Bryan Power, clinical lead for long term conditions at NHS Leeds Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and a GP at Vesper Road surgery, said “We’re seeing more and more people under 40 developing type 2 diabetes.

"That’s a real worry because as well as the impact it has on everyday life it can also have some very serious complications.

“In Leeds, we have very successful prevention programmes for people identified to be at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Your GP practice can offer advice, support and referral to the programme if you think you are at risk of developing diabetes.”

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