An international research team led by scientists at the MRC Epidemiology Unit has used a new approach to combine data from 27 individual population studies and conduct the largest ever investigation of the link between consumption of legumes and type 2 diabetes. A healthy diet is one important way to prevent type 2 diabetes, a […]

A new study published today in Nature Medicine has identified key risk factors that increase the likelihood of individuals developing not only one but multiple non-communicable diseases, which include cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory disease and diabetes. The analysis of over 11,000 people found that rather than being due to chance, there are often underlying biological […]

The amount of sugar purchased by households through soft drinks fell by 10% in the year following the introduction of the UK Soft Drinks Industry Levy. While the volume of soft drinks purchased did not change, the amount of sugar in those drinks was 30g lower per household per week, which the researchers say represents […]

Yesterday the American Diabetes Association (ADA) announced the recipients of the 2021 National Scientific and Health Care Achievement Awards, which “recognize academics, health care providers and educators who have contributed to tangible advances in the field of diabetes care and research. Each of these leaders have unwavering dedication to achieving the mission of the ADA: […]

Unit scientists Professor Nick Wareham and Professor Martin White were involved in detailed analysis highlighting the need for multi-disciplinary capability for research into whole-system influences on behaviour and public health. Non-communicable diseases like cancer, diabetes and heart disease have a huge impact on our quality of life and put pressure on the NHS and other […]

Government obesity policies in England over the past three decades have largely failed because of problems with implementation, lack of learning from past successes or failures, and a reliance on trying to persuade individuals to change their behaviour rather than tackling unhealthy environments. This is the conclusion of new research by a team at the […]

An international team led by researchers at the MRC Epidemiology Unit has used a cross-platform approach across several large human studies to identify hundreds of novel genetic variants that regulate metabolite levels in the blood. Human metabolism exchanges and converts small molecules, so called metabolites, to provide energy and essential components for each cell in […]