The mother of a diabetic child believes people should not start having children at a younger age, despite the findings of a study into the disease, writes Roseena Parveen.

The study suggested that delaying having a child until later in life could be the reason behind a rapid increase in diabetes in the Oxford area.

It found that in families prone to the disease, which can be hereditary, the risk of developing diabetes is higher in children born to a woman over the age of 30. First-born children were said to be at a higher risk.

The findings were part of a study of families in the Oxford area. Mother-of-four Barbara Crowther, who runs the Oxford Young Diabetics Parents' Support Group, had her first child, Ria Stoneman, at age 30.

Her second child, Harry, now ten, who was born when she was 33, developed diabetes when he was just eight.

However, her two younger children Eloise, now seven, and Megan, four do not have diabetes, and there is no family history of diabetes. Mrs Crowther, of Quarry Road, Headington, said: "I think if there was more concrete evidence, it would help us understand it better. But I don't think people should start having children younger. Many women don't meet the right man until later in life.

The study, carried out by Bristol University researchers, found the risk increased by 25 per cent for every five years. A 45-year-old mother was three times more likely to have a child that developed diabetes than a 20-year-old, according to the findings.