A CONSULTANT at Musgrove Park Hospital is leading a pioneering research study.

The study, called EXTOD Education (Exercise in Type One Diabetes), is to help people with Type 1 diabetes safely increase their exercise levels.

Patients with the condition will work with clinicians to develop an education programme, which helps manage their glucose levels so they can safely exercise more.

It is being carried out after research showed high numbers of people with the condition are not exercising enough.

According to figures from Public Health England, about 3,500 people in Somerset live with Type 1 diabetes.

Several studies have shown that people with Type 1 diabetes are not meeting the recommended level of exercise.

This is due to fears about hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar) and their lack of confidence in adjusting to the right levels of insulin and carbohydrate intake.

Leading the study is Professor Robert Andrews, a consultant in diabetes at Musgrove Park Hospital, who is also a researcher at the University of Exeter.

He said: “Nationally we don’t yet have a validated education programme about exercise for patients with Type 1 diabetes in England and this is a real gap that we want to fill.

“Furthermore no approved courses exist for healthcare professionals to improve the support they offer to patients about the nutritional adjustments they should make for diabetes and exercise."

The study is divided into two phases, the first will be used to develop an education programme to then be used in the second study.

The research will take place at Musgrove Park Hospital and the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.

It has been funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Research for Patient Benefit (RfPB) programme and will be supported by research teams and healthcare professionals at hospitals and universities in the Midlands.

If you have Type 1 diabetes and would like to take part in the study, contact Catherine Thompson, lead diabetes research nurse, at Musgrove Park Hospital on 01823 344 986.