A recent Imperial College London study has found a rapid increase in type 2 diabetes among women aged 20 to 29 in England. Researchers analysed National Health Service data and said rising obesity after the Covid-19 pandemic has played an important role in the disease’s spread. Rates among older adults were stable or, in some cases, slightly lower.

Lead researcher Dr Shivani Misra said severe obesity has significantly lowered the average age at which people develop type 2 diabetes. The condition was once more common in certain ethnic minority communities, but its prevalence is now also rising quickly among white people, creating a new public health challenge. Diabetes UK said diagnosis at a younger age can have a more aggressive effect on the body and raise risks of organ damage and premature death.

About 6 million people in the United Kingdom currently have diabetes, with roughly 90 percent living with type 2 diabetes. Nearly 12,000 people under 30 have the condition, many of them young women. NHS figures from 2019 to 2025 show obesity rose 16 percent among people aged 20 to 29 and nearly 20 percent among those aged 30 to 39. Experts urged medical advice for fatigue, frequent urination or excessive thirst.