MORE than 45,000 people in Wiltshire are at risk of Type 2 diabetes, according to a new report.

In the south west it is estimated 527,087 people over the age of 16 have high levels of blood sugar, which could lead to Type 2 diabetes.

Of these, 45,403 – 11.6 per cent of the population – live in Wiltshire according to the report, released by Public Health England (PHE).

The report also found 26 per cent of those at risk could be prevented from developing the condition by good health care.

It is estimated there are 22,000 early deaths from Type 2 diabetes annually, and the disease costs the NHS £8.8bn every year – ten per cent of its budget.

The figures come ahead of the nationwide roll-out of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme, which will support people in reducing their risk of diabetes by helping them lose weight, be more active and have a healthier diet.

Figures suggest that Type 2 diabetes already leads to 22,000 early deaths every year and costs the NHS around £8.8billion.

Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE, said: “We know how to lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes: lose weight, exercise and eat healthily. But it’s hard to do it alone.

“PHE’s evidence review shows that supporting people along the way will help them protect their health and that’s what our prevention programme will do.”

Experts also analysed data from 36 studies and found that people supported by diabetes prevention programmes lose, on average, 1.57kg more weight than those not on a dedicated programme.

The report comes as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) published new NHS guidelines.

It includes same-day referrals of children with suspected Type 1 diabetes to a specialist team.