Screening middle aged people for type 2 diabetes has no overall effect on the number who die over the next 10 years, concludes a study by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC).1

The finding, which came from a randomised trial conducted in the east of England, contradicts earlier modelling studies that indicated that screening for diabetes every five years would reduce deaths by as much as 40%.

Simon Griffin, from the MRC’s epidemiology unit in Cambridge, said, “Our study was the first robust evaluation of diabetes screening, and the results suggest its effectiveness may have been overestimated. Based on our findings, screening is only likely to benefit the small minority of people living with undiagnosed diabetes …