Diabetes is the silent killer, an affliction that affects many, many people but of which they can be completely ignorant, until it gets to an advanced stage.

The worst fears of the public health chiefs in Bradford were confirmed when check-ups of 1,000 people who fall into the category of being at-risk of diabetes found that 400 of them were already living with the disease – and had no idea.

This is a terrifying statistic, particularly as some of the causes of type-two diabetes are problems with which the Bradford district has particular issues – obesity and poor diet.

But diabetes can affect healthy people, and it should not merely be stigmatised as something that only affects the poor or those who make unhealthy lifestyle choices.

That said, there is plenty we can all do to lower our risk of developing the disease, and looking after ourselves with a more balanced diet and a healthier lifestyle is certainly one way to reduce the risk.

The scale of the problem is so large that it risks becoming something that sucks up money from the health services, and the NHS does not have cash to spare.

It is good that efforts are being made to catch diabetes in people who might be prone to it before it develops. It’s an old saying, but prevention is always better than cure.

But there is no magic bullet, and those of us who are at risk from developing the disease must wake up to the fact that the way we live does have an impact on our chances of getting diabetes, and we must accept that changes must be made if we are to have a long and healthy life.