Volunteers from the Swansea and south west Wales area will be asked to take part in a preliminary walking test, before beginning an eight-week supervised walking training programme.

Following the training, patients will be re-assessed and the results of responses of several metabolites and hormones will be analysed.

And the team aim to promote drug-free solutions, such as exercise, as a means of better controlling blood sugar levels in diabetes patients.

The research team who will carry out the work comprises Dr Richard Bracken, a Lecturer in Exercise Physiology in the Department of Sports Science, and Professor Stephen Bain and Dr Jeffrey Stephens in the School of Medicine, who are clinicians at Singleton and Morriston Hospitals respectively.

The research for the controlled study is funded by the Welsh Assembly Government's Welsh Office for Research and Development for Health and Social Care (WORD).

The study's leader, Dr Richard Bracken, said: "The results of the research will help provide a firm understanding of the positive health responses to walking exercise, which may aid in more refined glucose management strategies.

"The ultimate aim of this work is to assist the Welsh Office of Research and Development research strategy of improving the care and treatment of Type 2 diabetes patients."

The Welsh Health Survey 2004-05 states that 5% of the population of Wales says they have diabetes, and although advised to take regular exercise as part of a healthy lifestyle, specific exercise recommendations for these individuals are scarce.

This research study will facilitate a deeper understanding of the physiological responses in Type 2 diabetes patients to a specific walking training programme and may aid in a more confident promotion of this form of exercise by GPs and other health care professionals.  

If you are interested in taking part in the study, please contact Dr Richard Bracken on +00 44(0)1792 513059, or email r.m.bracken@swansea.ac.uk.