The Ely Study is a long term study of diabetes and other metabolic disorders that began in 1990. Its main aims are to find out:

• how many people have diabetes
• whether specific markers can predict the risk of developing diabetes in the future
• ways of quantifying and specifying the role of key behaviours in adult life on the development of diabetes, particularly diet and physical activity
• what can be done to prevent diabetes.

Study Summary

This is a longitudinal cohort study established in 1990 to study the aetiology and incidence of diabetes and metabolic disorders among individuals without clinically diagnosed diabetes at baseline. A total of 1122 individuals free from diabetes in 1990 were studied at 5 and 10 years with detailed measurement of glucose tolerance and metabolic characterisation with particular emphasis on the quantification of energy expenditure. Biochemical measures included fasting insulin, 30 minute insulin incremental response, fasting proinsulin and split proinsulin, NEFA, amylin, leptin, calcium/vitamin D/PTH axis, CRP, IL6, IFGI/II and IGFBP3. At the 10-year visit, randomly selected individuals from the original Ely cohort sampling frame (who were not invited for the Ely study in 1990) were also studied.

Status

Field work completed with on-going data collection from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) linkage, measurement of biomarkers on stored samples and use of genetic data for meta-analysis.

Unit role

Unit led with responsibility for data and samples

Funding

MRC core, with 10 year measurements funded by an MRC project grant and the Ely Retrospective cohort funded by an NHS R&D grant, both held by the Unit

Publications

Ely study publications on the MRC Epidemiology Unit publications database.

Data sharing

We welcome proposals for projects and aim to make data as widely available as possible whilst safeguarding the privacy of our participants, protecting confidential data and maintaining the reputations of our studies and participants. Please see our Data Sharing pages for more information.