The number of people diagnosed with diabetes has jumped more than 60% in just 10 years.

In a 10-year period the number of new diabetes cases soared 63%

Newly-released figures found that an increase in obesity was fuelling the soaring rates of Type 2 diabetes.

The findings suggest the number of sufferers in the UK is increasing faster than in the US, where prevalence of the disease is one of the highest in the world.

In the six-year period between 1997 and 2003 the number of new cases soared 74%, and rose 63% across the entire decade.

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Britain’s Got Talent sensation Susan Boyle has told Sky News of her amazement at being catapulted to international stardom via the internet.

The unemployed church volunteer has become a global phenomenon since appearing on the popular reality TV show.

Her incredible voice stunned the judges and a sceptical audience, who initially did not take her seriously because of her plain appearance.

Susan said: "I think everyone was quite surprised when I opened my mouth, but it just goes to show you can’t judge a book by its cover.

"I was quite nervous to begin with, then I just got into it.

"I promised my mother who died two years ago that I would enter the competition so I was keeping my promise to her."

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Popular children’s bath products contain cancer-causing chemicals, according to research carried out in the United States.

An independent laboratory tested a range of top-selling brands and found many of them contained formaldehyde, which is used to embalm corpses.

Out of the 28 products tested for formaldehyde in the study, 23 contained it. Studies have linked the substance to cancers of the brain, nasal sinuses and possibly leukaemia.

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The so-called muffin top is the overhanging flesh that spills over the waistband. Not a good look by anyone’s standards. So, with summer in sight and low-rise jeans and cropped tops still in fashion, it’s time to lose that spare tyre. JANEY HOLLIDAY, founder of Fit For A Princess, explains how to get rid of your muffin top for good.

Work out laterally… Conditioning your muscles all the way around helps decrease the ‘muffin’ appearance

STRIP THE FAT

Muffin tops are made up of excess fat around the abdominal area all the way round your body. Stripping excess fat from your body with cardio exercise is one of the best ways to get rid of it.

Jogging, power walking, cycling, aerobics, swimming – anything that gets your heart rate up and your body moving – will burn fat. Women tap into fat stores for energy much more slowly than men, usually after 40 minutes of exercising, so aim for at least this, but ideally building up to an hour, three times a week.

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They are widely seen as being protected from the sun by their genetic make-up.

But a new study suggests dark-haired people who do not burn easily should beware of being lulled into a false sense of security.

The U.S. researchers have identified a gene variant that more than doubles the risk of skin cancer in people with dark hair, while having no effect in blondes or redheads.

And sunbathers who carry the gene and tan immediately without burning face an almost 10 times higher risk, the scientists warn.

The mutation, in a gene called MC1R, was also associated with a more than trebling of risk in people with dark eyes, and an eightfold increase in those who did not freckle.

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Walking through Burnley town centre with Janet and Jane Cunliffe, you immediately notice the number of people staring at them as they walk past.

In their white jeans (size six), matching tops, peroxide blonde hair and rather heavy make-up, they appear somewhat out of place among the lunchtime crowd in the former Lancashire mill-town.

At one point, one of the people walking past sniggers once they’re behind us.

"Yes, we get a bit of that," Jane, who’s 29, says.

Janet, it’s fair to say, doesn’t look – or dress – like your average 50-year-old.

"People think we must be sisters, or related in some way, but they’d never believe we were mother and daughter," she says.

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It was hailed as a superfood that could fight breast cancer, strengthen bones and ease the menopause. Once thought of as exotic, today soya can be found in a variety of guises on supermarket shelves, from dairy-free milk and yogurt to vegan cheese and tofu.

Soya was first cultivated in China, where it was used as medicine and in cooking. Last year, more than one million tons of it were imported to the UK.

However, there is mounting evidence that soya could, in fact, pose a serious health risk.

Experts claim soya foods might lower testosterone levels in men, hamper thyroid function, cause weight gain and disrupt hormones.

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It’s not good news for those who fear that old age and a failing memory come hand-in-hand.

Scientists say that pensioners who believe the elderly should perform poorly on memory tests are much more likely to score badly.

On the other hand, those who don’t buy into negative stereotypes about ageing and memory loss tend to do better.

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Young women who smoke – as well as those who are routinely exposed to second-hand smoke – face a significantly higher risk of developing breast cancer later in life, according to a new study.

"Individual women have, on average, a one-in-seven chance of developing breast cancer. If they smoke, they will increase that risk to one-in-four or one-in-five," Anthony Miller, associate director of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto, said in an interview.

"The risk is about the same for passive smoke, particularly for a girl growing up in a house where there is a smoker," he said.

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A new flu virus suspected of killing as many as 81 people in Mexico has the potential to become a pandemic, the World Health Organization’s chief says.

Margaret Chan said the outbreak was a "health emergency of international concern" and must be closely monitored.

Health experts say tests so far seem to link the illnesses in Mexico with a swine flu virus in the southern US.

Several people have also fallen ill in the US, and the authorities there are watching the situation.

A top US health official said the strain of swine flu had spread widely and could not be contained.

Speaking after a meeting of the WHO’s emergency committee, Mrs Chan said that "the current events constitute a public health emergency of international concern".

The WHO is advising all member states to be vigilant for seasonally unusual flu or pneumonia-like symptoms among their populations – particularly among young healthy adults.

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