Diabetes prevention study in need of more volunteers

People across the county of Norfolk are being urged to take part in a landmark study which aims to reduce the number of people being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Almost 3,000 people who are at risk of type 2 diabetes have already been screened for the disease under the Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study.
However, a total of 10,000 participants are needed for the project and researchers are now appealing for more people to volunteer to undergo a simple blood sugar test.
Most participants are expected to have blood sugar levels within a normal range, but researchers are looking to identify the three to 10 per cent of people who have pre-diabetes, a condition characterised by the presence of higher-than-normal blood glucose levels that are yet to reach diabetic levels.
Those with pre-diabetes, which often a precursor to type 2 diabetes, will be offered the chance to take part in a research trial to see if changes to their lifestyle can help lower the risk of them becoming a type 2 diabetic .
Professor Mike Sampso, chief investigator of the study, said: “This study holds a lot of promise for one of the major public health challenges of our time.
“The cost of diabetes care to the NHS is rising rapidly and if we can demonstrate that an intervention programme can prevent people from developing the condition, the savings in terms of the human cost and the financial cost to the NHS will be substantial.”
The £2.2m research project, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), is being run by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the University of East Anglia.
For more information on how take part in the regional study, visit norfolkdiabetespreventionstudy.nhs.uk.