Access to Diabetes Care: World Diabetes Day 2023

Accessing healthcare is vital for our society to thrive, and yet millions of people live with undiagnosed conditions – including diabetes. This year on World Diabetes Day, we focus on the research around diabetes care and treatment, highlighting the importance of early screening, preventative treatment, and healthy lifestyles.

There isn’t just one form of diabetes and one treatment, as some of the research highlighted here shows. Join us in watching some of our favourite animations for World Diabetes Day.

Classifying diabetes type in ethnic groups

Young people from minority ethnic groups in the UK could have their diabetes misclassified, which would lead to problems with their treatment. Researchers set up the My Diabetes study to understand whether MODY – a rare form of diabetes – was being missed in Black and South-Asian groups.

What’s the best meal plan for people with T2DM during Ramadan fasting?

Chronic conditions like diabetes don’t take time off for religious events, which means that people with type 2 diabetes need to be careful when fasting for Ramadan.

Structured nutrition therapy, including the use of a diabetes-specific formula for glycaemic control and dietary intake adequacy, could help patients with type 2 diabetes during this time.

Beyond glucose: A beta-cell centric approach to prevent type 2 diabetes

Professor Yoshifumi Saisho’s research focuses on beta cell dysfunction in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). He advocates for moving the focus away from glucose levels and towards protecting pancreatic beta cell mass – the cells which produce insulin – to prevent patients from developing T2DM and to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Should QT-prolonging drugs be prescribed to type 1 diabetic patients?

QT-prolongation is when the heart’s electrical system takes longer than usual to recharge between beats, and can cause irregular heart rhythm. The mechanisms for QT-prolongation during hyperglycaemia are not well understood. As poorly controlled blood glucose levels are common in patients with type 1 diabetes, it is important to understand how QT-prolonging drugs will act during episodes of hyperglycaemia.