Researchers are on the lookout for male couch potatoes

CALLING all chubby, couch potato, Caucasian males - your country needs you!

And it’s not a joke. Scientists at the Leicester Diabetes Centre want to recruit inactive, fat, white men for an important study on exercise, gut health and chronic disease.

The research will look at what part gut bacteria play on weight and how much they are affected by lifestyle.

The area is little understood and the Team GB study may offer insight which could help in the fight against diabetes and other illnesses such as heart disease and some cancers.

A spokesman said: “Throughout the world more people are becoming very overweight. Being obese is linked to many health problems including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. There are many different reasons why some people are more overweight than others.

“New research suggests the bacteria in people’s gut may affect their body weight. There are different types of bacteria and the amounts of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ types may be affected by lifestyle factors. We aim to find out if exercise can change gut bacteria profile.”

Participants will have to make three study visits to the Leicester Diabetes Centre at Leicester General Hospital in Gwendolen Road. They will also have to attend personalised and supervised gym sessions within the centre three times a week for eight weeks.

The trial is open to men who are non-smokers, aged between 25 and 60 and who are overweight, white and don’t take part in any regular physical activity.

For more information email jacqueline.e.wayte@ uhl-tr.nhs.uk or call 0116 258 4986.