Scientists to probe diabetes link

Type 2 diabetes is often linked with obesity

Researchers have been awarded almost £9m to investigate the impact of exercise on preventing weight gain, obesity and diabetes.

The European Commission-funded probe will be used to help develop a drug to fight Type 2 Diabetes.

Type 2 Diabetes is often linked with obesity and it can cause many chronic and debilitating health problems.

The University of Dundee's School of Life Sciences will lead the Exgenesis project.

Rates of obesity have tripled across the UK in the past 20 years and there are fears a similarly large increase in Type 2 Diabetes may soon follow.

This could have great health benefits but it is some way in the future Prof Grahame Hardie Dundee University

About two million people in the UK are diabetic and 80% of Type 2 Diabetes sufferers are obese.

The disease develops when the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin and is most common in people over 40.

However, not all overweight people develop the disease.

Professor Grahame Hardie, who is co-ordinating the study, said: "The link between exercise and prevention of Type 2 Diabetes is very convincing but is currently only a correlation, rather like the original evidence that smoking causes lung cancer.

Scientists hope to find a drug which can mimic exercise effects

"Once it is known exactly how exercise prevents the disease, we will be able to give people more rational advice about exercise and health, and also put more pressure on European governments to adopt policies that make it easier for people to increase their level of exercise.

"It may also be feasible to develop a drug that mimics the effects of exercise for those people who are unable to undertake it themselves.

"This could have great health benefits but it is some way in the future."

However, any potential diabetes drug would be several years away and would follow the planned five-year-long project which is due to take place across 13 European countries.