Hundreds of thousands of people in the Netherlands who are in the preliminary stage of diabetes run the risk of having a heart attack or stroke within eight years, research by teaching hospital Maastricht UMC+ has shown.

As many as one in six, or some 1.4 million people with pre-diabetes, could be affected, researchers said.  It is the first time the consequences of pre-diabetes have been the subject of a study.

It was long thought that no damage to health was being done at this stage, MUMC+ diabetes doctor and researcher Martijn Brouwers said. “We have been able to show that this is not true, so people can be encouraged to adopt a healthier lifestyle,” he told the Telegraaf. “This is a wake-up call.”

Pre-diabetic people have high blood sugar values, clogging up the arteries to the brain or heart. The problem is that most people are unaware they are pre-diabetic, Brouwers said.

The good news is that the condition is reversible, said Diena Halbertsma, director of diabetes charity Diabetes Fonds. “The sooner you act, the less damage it will do. “So stop smoking, eat healthier, and move more, and you will halve your chances of getting diabetes type two.”

Half of Dutch people are overweight and nearly two-thirds of the population is expected to be by 2050. Excess weight is an important risk factor for developing the disease. “If we don’t do something, we will be inundated with cases,” Halbertsma said.

The charity’s website has a test which shows if people are at risk. They can then go to their family doctor for a blood test.

According to Brouwers, it would help if the government subsidised sports clubs to make them accessible to all. VAT on healthy food should also be lowered, he said.