GP surgeries play part in clinical trial

Findings show weight loss works

GP practices in Forth Valley have taken part in a potentially ground- breaking trial which suggests it is possible to combat type two diabetes by losing weight.

Details of the findings, which have been published in the The Lancet, found that almost half of those who took part in the programme (45.6 per cent) were in remission after 12 months.

The DiRECT (Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial) study was funded by Diabetes UK and carried out in Scotland and Tyneside.

Between 85 and 90 per cent of people with diabetes have the type two version of the disease.

People are at greater risk of contracting type two diabetes because of their family history, age and ethnic background, or if they are overweight.

For the study, patients with type two diabetes in five ‘control’ medical practices, three in the Stirling area and two in Clackmannanshire, received standard diabetes care from their GP.

Those in one intervention practice in Falkirk district received a structured weight management programme within primary care.

The Counterweight programme included a low calorie, nutrientcomplete diet for three to five months, food re-introduction and long-term support to maintain weight loss.

NHS Forth Valley weight management service lead Anne Clarke said: “I think it’s very exciting to see these results. This will help shape how we plan type two diabetes care in the future within the NHS Forth Valley area.”

Lead researcher in the trial Professor Mike Lean, from the University of Glasgow, added: “Putting type two diabetes into remission as early as possible after diagnosis could have extraordinary benefits, both for the individual and the NHS.

“DiRECT is telling us it could be possible for as many as half of patients to achieve this in routine primary care and without drugs.”

In the UK, there are more than 4.5 million people who have diabetes. It is estimated a million of them are unaware of it because they haven’t been diagnosed. It is thought 11.9 million people are at increased risk of developing type two diabetes.