MAGIC PILL' IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE FOR DIABETICS
Lawson researcher investigates exercise as an effective treatment option

December 18, 2007

'MAGIC PILL' IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIFE FOR DIABETICS
Lawson researcher investigates exercise as an effective treatment option

LONDON, Ontario - Patients and family doctors could have an effective new tool to prevent diabetes health issues with a "magic pill" that prevents and treats the cardiovascular complications associated with the disease.

The focus of this unique new study, led by Lawson Health Research Institute Scientist, Dr. Rob Petrella, aims to uncover the mechanisms behind the cardiovascular complications of diabetes, while developing an exercise program for Type I and II diabetics as well as for those at risk of contracting the disease.

"Everybody is looking for a 'magic pill' that will prevent and treat diabetes effectively, and physical activity is actually the magic pill," says Dr. Petrella, the principal investigator for the research project. "Exercise has no adverse effects, has a greater impact than any one medication, and is one thing that patients can self monitor very effectively to control their condition."

Dr. Petrella adds that prescribing exercise will allow both family doctors and patients to have more control over the management of their condition.

"This is a real knowledge-action project where we'll have an exercise tool that a family doctor can provide to a patient at risk that the patient can easily subscribe to and effectively gain immediate health benefits," he says. "Now we have a venue to study a particularly high-risk group by linking true science and practice to create the most effective, targeted care possible. I think the project will be very satisfying for both researchers and patients alike."

More than 1,000 patients across the diabetes continuum, from those at risk of contracting the disease to Type I and Type II diabetics, will be involved with the study over the course of the next five years.

"One of our objectives is to develop new methods that detect early markers
of the cardiovascular complications that develop along the continuum of risk towards the development of diabetes," says Lawson Scientist and Associate Professor of Kinesiology in Western's Faculty of Health Sciences, Kevin Shoemaker, a co-investigator on the research project. "One of the great things about the project is the opportunity we have to incorporate the work of imaging and exercise scientists, cardiovascular and knowledge translation experts, as well as data management specialists, that work with clinicians in order to explore these markers and deliver them to the community."

The $3.8-million research project was jointly funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Canadian Diabetes Association, and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. Dr. Petrella's 11-member research team is also collaborating with an equivalent number of scientific counterparts in Finland.

"There is always going to be a need to develop new therapeutic interventions, but there is also a need to look at what is most effective in terms of the long-term health of the population, and this is an excellent opportunity to take diabetes as an example of how exercise can be used as a way to improve the health of Canadians more generally," Dr. Petrella says. "The ideal preventative 'pill' is exercise - it's free, it's easy to swallow, and it has no side effects."

Dr. Rob Petrella is the Leader with the Aging, Rehabilitation, and Geriatric Care Research Centre at St. Joseph's Health Care, London. He is also an Associate Professor with the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario.

About Lawson Health Research Institute As the research institute of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care, London, and working in partnership with The University of Western Ontario, Lawson Health Research Institute is committed to furthering scientific knowledge to advance health care around the world.

For more information, please contact:

Melissa Beilhartz, Communications Consultant
Lawson Health Research Institute
519-646-6100 ext. 65516
www.lhrionhealth.ca