THE doctor who pioneered breast and cervical screening has been howled down for daring to suggest that the 3.5 million Britons with Type 2 diabetes do not have a “real disease.”

Instead, Sir Muir Gray – knighted for his work in the development of foetal maternal and child screening programmes – insisted that they have “walking deficiency syndrome”. In other words, they have an unhealthy lifestyle including too little exercise and poor diet.

Now, his words have prompted some people to insist that they do have a healthy lifestyle with plenty of exercise and good food but still suffer from Type 2 diabetes.

And, while there will undoubtedly be a number of individuals who are not to blame for their own condition, Sir Muir’s words simply underline once more that many people are their own worst enemies. They are, in fact, largely to blame for their condition because they live the life they want to and it’s simply not healthy.

We already know that most adults do not get enough exercise and can develop health conditions which reflect this inactivity. New NHS figures just last week show that a quarter of adults don’t manage even 30 minutes of exercise a week.

Exercise in this contact is described as anything that gets you slightly out of breath. This can include walking, jogging or going to the gym or gardening and heavy housework.

Yet, it’s quite likely that these same people who eschew exercise and keeping their bodies fit and healthy enough to fight off illness or debilitating conditions expect to be healthy. What madness is that?

It is completely up to us how we live our lives and how we treat our bodies. But, if we refuse to keep them in good condition, there is no way on earth that anyone else is to blame if they go wrong.

Being inactive dramatically increases the risk of heart attack or stroke. That’s not an opinion, it’s a fact. Just a small amount of regular daily exercise makes all the difference in the world, and it’s never too late to start. Building up a gradual routine allows everyone to do something to help themselves.

Regular physical activity helps people manage their weight properly, helping to reduce the risk of conditions like Type 2 diabetes. And if we all simply sit down less and walk more we can move comfortably into a healthier – and happier – future.