Diabetes (type 2)
About this PSP
Diabetes UK identified the Top 10 research priorities of people with Type 2 Diabetes, carers and healthcare professionals.
The PSP launched its initial survey in May 2016. See the video below from Diabetes UK explaining why contributing to the PSP was important.
See news about this PSP: June 2021, March 2020, December 2017, November 2017, June 2017, November 2017.
The Diabetes (Type 2) PSP Top 10 was published in October 2017.
“It’s been a huge privilege to understand what matters most to people with Type 2 diabetes. These priorities are a really important step in helping us achieve our goal of maximising the benefit of research for people with diabetes. The priorities will allow us, and researchers across the UK, to think strategically to deliver the knowledge that could significantly improve the lives of people with Type 2 diabetes in the future.”
Top 10 uncertainties
- Can type 2 diabetes be cured or reversed, what is the best way to achieve this, and is there a point beyond which the condition cannot be reversed?
- How do we identify people at high risk of type 2 diabetes and help to prevent the condition from developing?
- What is the best way to encourage people with type 2 diabetes, whoever they are and wherever they live, to self-manage their condition, and how should it be delivered?
- How do stress and anxiety influence the management of type 2 diabetes and does a positive mental wellbeing have an effect?
- How can people with type 2 diabetes be supported to make lifestyle changes to help them to manage their condition, how effective are these lifestyle changes, and what stops them from working?
- Why does type 2 diabetes get progressively worse over time, what is the most effective way to slow or prevent progression, and how can this be best measured?
- Should diet and exercise be used as an alternative to drugs for the management of type 2 diabetes, or alongside them?
- What causes nerve damage in people with type 2 diabetes, who does it affect most, how can we increase awareness of it, and how can it be best prevented and treated?
- How can psychological or social support be best used to help people with or at risk of type 2 diabetes, and how should this be delivered to account for individual needs?
- What role do fats, carbohydrates, and proteins have in the management of type 2 diabetes, and are there risks and benefits associated with particular approaches?
The following questions were also discussed and put in order of priority at the workshop:
- How effective are different diets and eating patterns for managing Type 2 diabetes, who are they most effective in and what are the potential harms?
- What are the most effective characteristics of a Type 2 diabetes education programme?
- What are the best new treatment approaches for improving blood glucose control in people with Type 2 diabetes?
- How can healthcare professionals be supported to deliver better care for people with Type 2 diabetes?
- What is the most effective approach to weight loss in people with Type 2 diabetes and what factors might affect this?
- How do we identify people with Type 2 diabetes who are unlikely to engage with their treatment plans, including medication and lifestyle changes, and what are the best strategies to overcome this?
- Why do blood glucose levels vary day-to-day in people with Type 2 diabetes for no apparent reason (for example, the Dawn Effect), what is the impact and how can it be avoided?
- How effective are very low calorie diets at preventing or managing Type 2 diabetes, and what are the risks and benefits of this approach?
- How can Type 2 diabetes be prevented in people who are at high risk due to family history?
- What causes eye disease in people with Type 2 diabetes, who does it affect most, how can we increase awareness of it, and how can it be better prevented and treated?
- What are the benefits and harms of statins for different groups of people with Type 2 diabetes?
- What causes tiredness or fatigue in people with Type 2 diabetes, what are the long-term consequences and what is the best way to manage it?
- What role does the quantity and different types of sugar, including fruit sugars and substitute sugars, play in the management of Type 2 diabetes, and how should we better advise people on recommended amounts?
- What is the best way to use metformin to gain the most benefit for people with Type 2 diabetes while minimising side effects?