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The language of diabetes harms sufferers – it’s time for change

People living with diabetes can be left bewildered by a blame narrative encouraged by the media, and even by the medical profession, says James Moore

Tuesday 18 December 2018 10:03 GMT
Comments

Diabetes eh. It’s a plague, I tell you, a plague. It’s an epidemic caused by bad lifestyle choices. It’s going to break the NHS.

It goes hand in hand with obesity. That’s also a plague, another epidemic caused by bad lifestyle choices that’s going to break the NHS.

These notions encapsulate the ugly narrative that has been allowed to develop in the media about a condition that affects 3.7m Britons, aided and abetted by an awful lot of people who really ought to know better. You’ll see variations on the theme peddled by the BBC, newspapers, and by many other outlets.

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