MID-Frail

A randomised clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a multimodal intervention in frail and prefrail older people with type 2 diabetes on frailty and quality of life.

Supported by the European Union, the MID-Frail Study ran for four years and investigated how a combined nutritional, exercise and educational intervention programme might improve the health and well-being of people over the age of 70 years with type 2 diabetes and who are becoming frail.

MID-Frail was an international research study examining the effectiveness of combining optimised medical management with exercise and dietary programmes to maintain function and quality of life in people aged 70 years and over who have type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes is a highly prevalent metabolic disorder in ageing populations, affecting approximately 20% of people aged 65 years and over. Diabetes is associated with increased frailty and an accelerated decline in the ability to carry out activities of daily living, which impairs quality of life.

There is a significant accompanying personal and social burden and increased healthcare costs through the effects of diabetes complications leading to increased hospitalisation rates.

Sixteen centres in seven countries across Europe participated in this four-year study. The project was co-ordinated by Professor Leocadio Rodríguez-Mañas (Hospital Universitario de Getafe, Madrid, Spain), an internationally-renowned geriatrician and Director of the Spanish Network on Ageing and Frailty (RETICEF) of the Ministry of Science and Innovation.

The Scientific Coordinator was Professor Alan Sinclair (University of Bedfordshire, UK). Professor Sinclair is an internationally-recognised expert in diabetes and old age medicine, Dean of the Beds & Herts Postgraduate Medical School and Director of the Institute of Diabetes for Older People (IDOP).