Diabetes Insights - Breakthroughs and Innovators

In this episode, Prof. Nita Forouhi (University of Cambridge) and Prof. Michael Lean (University of Glasgow) explore the science behind nutrition, weight loss and type 2 diabetes remission. They discuss the role of ultra-processed foods, meat consumption and the importance of whole-food, minimally processed diets.

The conversation highlights groundbreaking research showing that substantial, intentional weight loss can reverse type 2 diabetes by reducing fat in organs like the liver, pancreas, and heart, restoring insulin sensitivity and pancreatic function.

They also tackle how to communicate evidence-based messages amid a flood of misinformation, and the importance of patient-centred research and guidance for real-world diabetes prevention and remission.

In this episode, experts from the University of Amsterdam (Prof. J. Hans de Vries), the University of Newcastle (Prof. James A.M. Shaw) and Deakin University (Prof. Jane Speight) explore one of the most feared complications of type 1 diabetes: severe hypoglycaemia.

While advances in continuous glucose monitoring and automated insulin delivery have reduced severe episodes by around 40%, they have not eliminated the problem. The discussion examines why technology has limits, the challenges of impaired awareness and when transplantation may be considered for people with recurrent severe hypoglycaemia.

The conversation also highlights the profound psychological burden of hypoglycaemia; from trauma and anxiety to the long-term impact of messaging around glucose targets and emphasises the importance of listening to people with diabetes when shaping future care.

In this episode, Prof. Gill Livingston (University College London) and Prof. Thomas van Sloten (UMC Utrecht) explore the complex relationship between diabetes and dementia. People with diabetes face a higher risk of cognitive decline, particularly those with type 2 diabetes, and as treatment improves and life expectancy increases, dementia is becoming a growing clinical challenge.

The discussion examines how diabetes medications, including GLP-1 receptor agonists and SGLT2 inhibitors, may influence cognitive outcomes, the role of lifestyle and vascular risk factors, and why prevention must become central to diabetes care.

This episode also highlights the urgent need for clinical trials that include dementia and cognition as primary outcomes.

In this episode, Professor Francesco Giorgino (EASD President) and Professor Leszek Czupryniak (EASD Global Council Advisor) introduce EASD's newest initiative: the Global Council, launched in Madrid in 2023. This 13-member council brings together diabetes experts from Asia, North and South America, Africa, the Middle East, Australia, and underrepresented regions of Europe to provide direct, active contributions to EASD activities and address global challenges in diabetes research and care.

The conversation addresses the urgent importance of diversity in diabetes data and research, particularly as political movements in some regions actively discourage it and explains how registries are essential for understanding diabetes epidemiology and care delivery across different contexts.

Listen in to hear the announcement of a historic milestone: EASD's first new prize in nearly 60 years: the inaugural Global Impact Prize for Diabetes was awarded to Dr. Viswanathan Mohan from India for pioneering work in diabetes epidemiology and subtypes in Asia in 2025. Looking forward, the council is developing global structures for registries, supporting research development in underserved regions, and moving from hopes to concrete solutions.

In this episode, a cardiologist, an epidemiologist and a diabetologist come together to discuss the deep and evolving links between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The conversation explores heart failure as a common but often under-recognized complication of diabetes, how cardiovascular risk begins even before type 2 diabetes develops, and why modern therapies increasingly target multiple organs at once. The speakers highlight the importance of early detection, collaboration across specialties, and prevention as populations age and chronic disease patterns shift.