Type 2 diabetes: £1m funding for heart treatment research

A £1m grant has been given to a university to support research into type 2 diabetes.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) gave the money to the University of Leeds to look at issues around the disease, including how it affects the heart.

Heart diseases are more common in those with the condition, Prof Khalid Naseem from the university said.

Understanding "why heart failure is made worse" by type 2 diabetes could lead to better treatments, he added.

The funding will support cardiovascular research at the university over the next five years, the BHF said.

'Clearest picture yet'

The charity's Accelerator Award funding scheme provided the cash, which is part of a £35m investment into cardiovascular research.

People living with type 2 diabetes are up to three times more likely to be diagnosed with heart failure, the charity added.

"Leeds researchers will study the changes seen in the heart and blood vessels of people with type 2 diabetes and investigate how they cause heart failure to develop and progress," a spokesperson added.

"This will help them to develop the clearest picture yet of how [the disease] drives worse heart failure symptoms and poorer outcomes."

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