Thank you for donating through my 50th birthday JustGiving page.

We are supporting medical research that combines three key passions of mine; diabetes, cycling and Loughborough University.  

A research study provides an interesting way to donate funds to a cause of real interest to us personally as well as offering tangible feedback on the outcomes achieved by our donations.

Steven and Sally-Ann's families have been affected by diabetes and we are very aware of the impact, as well as the opportunity to manage the potential onset of diabetes.

There is a very close relationship between type 2 diabetes and fat stored in the wrong places, particularly the liver.

From mid-September 2018 Loughborough University will research whether exercise can remove this fat, particularly harmful saturated liver fats.

This project is looking at how high levels of liver fat impair glucose regulation; and further, whether different types of liver fat are more harmful than others (measured by new MRI scanning methods). 

The study will also take a group of patients with type 2 diabetes and high levels of liver fat into a six week exercise training programme of exercise, including cycling three times per week. 

The study will find out whether exercise can remove this fat or favourably change its composition.

The study is led by a Loughborough PhD student, 2 Research Assistants with clinical support at the hospitals, supervision
 of exercise training sessions, MRI scans and results analysis. The study will take 18 months to complete for an overall cost of c.£100K. 

This study is supported by Diabetes UK and a NIHR Biomedical Research Centre award (for both Loughborough and Nottingham universities).  In addition The East Midlands Clinical Research
 Network are also providing support costs that will fund GP practices to identify and contact patients / participants.  

There is a shortfall in funding which we are supporting, hence our donations will have a real benefit to the study.

Thank you for your donation.