More than 60% of cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed if people adopted a healthier lifestyle, Diabetes Ireland has said.

According to the national charity, which provides advice and support to anyone affected by the condition, the greatest number of people affected by type 2 diabetes are aged between 40 and 59.

It noted that findings from the Healthy Ireland survey revealed that over 850,000 adults over the age of 40 already have or are at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Furthermore, over 300,000 adults in the 30-39 age group are overweight and are not getting enough exercise, increasing their risk also.

"This means that there are over 1,158,000 adults in Ireland that need to consider making changes to their daily behaviours in terms of eating healthily and being more active," the charity said.

However, it emphasised that the majority of cases of type 2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed by adopting a healthier lifestyle, and even just eating a healthier breakfast reduces a person's risk.

The charity welcomed the decision by the popular RTÉ programme, Operation Transformation, to include a leader with type 2 diabetes, as this will increase people's awareness of the condition.

"Type 2 diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate. One of the main contributory factors to this epidemic is increasing obesity and that is why we very much welcome the focus being put on type 2 diabetes by the Operation Transformation team," commented Dr Anna Clarke of Diabetes Ireland.

Currently in Ireland, an estimated 225,000 people have type 2 diabetes, but some 30,000 of these are undiagnosed. A delayed diagnosis means that many people already have at least one diabetes-related complication by the time they are eventually diagnosed. This can have a major impact on their future health and quality of life.

Complications can include damage to the kidneys, damage to the heart and blood vessels, and diabetic retinopathy (eye disease), which can lead to blindness.

To coincide with the launch of the new series of Operation Transformation, Diabetes Ireland has launched a dedicated section on its website here, where people can learn more about type 2 diabetes, including the complications that can come with undiagnosed or poorly controlled diabetes.

It also provides a quick risk assessment to help people discover their own risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

"Type 2 diabetes is an epidemic that can only be controlled by individuals identifying their own risk profile and taking action to prevent, or at least delay its onset, through making healthier lifestyle choices today.

"While the test provides a risk marker, it is not a diagnosis and for those whose result is categorised as ‘high risk', they will be encouraged to attend their GP immediately for a more formal test," Dr Clarke explained.

For more information on Diabetes Ireland, click here