Slowing down how quickly the body makes a specific type of fat could help to combat type 2 diabetes, according to new research published online in the journal eLife. A team of researchers, led by Dr Kasparas Petkevicius, Dr Samuel Virtue and Professor Toni Vidal-Puig of the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, has made the […]

People who achieve weight loss of 10% or more in the first five years following diagnosis with type 2 diabetes have the greatest chance of seeing their disease go into remission, according to a study led by the University of Cambridge. The findings suggest that it is possible to recover from the disease without intensive […]

The Food environment assessment tool (Feat) www.feat-tool.org.uk, has just had a big upgrade, and is packed with new feature. Feat enables detailed exploration of the geography of food retail access. It is designed around the needs of professionals in public health, environmental health and planning roles, locally and nationally. It can be used to map, […]

The 2019 issue of Epigram, our annual newsletter for everyone who is interested in the work of the MRC Epidemiology Unit, is out now! In this issue we look at: Genetic research that is helping to overcome barriers to developing safe & effective drugs to treat obesity How our researchers use biomarkers to gain a better […]

Research from the laboratories of Professor Sue Ozanne and Dr Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri shows that exercise immediately prior to and during pregnancy restores key tissues in the body, making obese mice better able to manage blood sugar levels and lowering the risk of long term health problems. A moderate level of exercise immediately before and then […]

A receptor for the gut hormone Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) has been shown to be present in several cell types in the adult hypothalamus and has been identified as a potential target for drugs aimed at weight control. Researchers from the group of Frank Reimann and Fiona Gribble at the Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science-Metabolic […]

New research from IMS-MRL researchers published in PLOS Medicine has found that babies whose mothers received treatment with metformin, a medication commonly used to treat diabetes in pregnancy, had a lower birthweight but faster postnatal growth than babies whose mothers had their diabetes treated with insulin. These results suggest there could be long term risks […]

Research Assistant in Public Health Modelling The MRC Epidemiology Unit is seeking to appoint a Research Assistant in Public Health Modelling. This position is based in the Unit’s Public Health Modelling team. The primary role of this post is to support the work of the Public Health Modelling programme in cleaning and analysing travel survey […]

Jean Strelitz writes about new research which indicates that reducing alcohol use by as little as two units per week may have long-term health benefits for people with diabetes. This post was originally published in The Conversation. People with type 2 diabetes are at a higher risk of getting cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack and […]

The University of Michigan’s Taubman Institute have today announced that Professor Sir Stephen O’Rahilly will be the 2019 recipient of the Taubman Prize for Excellence in Medical Science. The prize, which is given every other year, will be awarded at the institute’s annual symposium on October 22 in Ann Arbor. “Dr. O’Rahilly’s pioneering work has […]