Dr David Webb

David is an academic Diabetes and Obesity physician, a senior investigator and lead for Type 2 at the Diabetes Research Centre (DRC) and a director of teaching in the college of Life Sciences. David is named as a Principle or Co-investigator on grant funding totalling in excess of £5 million from the NIHR (including as an Academic Clinical Lecturer), Welcome trust ISSF, charities and industry.  He was also a named investigator on NIHR Biomedical Research Unit (BRU 2012) and Biomedical Research Centre (BRC 2017) lifestyle research theme awards totalling in excess of £8 million over the last 10 years. His overarching aim is to continue this success and the University of Leicester’s excellent track record in lifestyle and nutrition linked Diabetes research, whilst also leading emerging themes around Obesity medicine and foot disease. This direction aligns closely with the strategic priorities of the DRC, College, University and newly awarded NIHR BRC 2022. 

Work within the DRC

David has co-authored over 120 original research or review articles some of which have contributed to significant changes in clinical practice. For example, his work on the ADDITION Study led directly to the development and implementation of the national NHS vascular health checks programme and the Diabetes UK Risk Score https://riskscore.diabetes.org.uk/start,  The former is a primary care based assessment of cardiovascular risk for everyone over 40 years of age which was submitted to REF 2014 by the DRC as a case impact assessment.

Lifestyle and Nutrition Biomedical Research Centre

David is a senior investigator in the newly awarded NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) and will continue to lead human experimental work around novel nutrition, physical activity and pharmacotherapy interventions. His contribution to previous awards (as senior investigator and training lead) resulted in 43 original research publications and supervisory roles in eight research degrees.  An important part of this work is senior clinical oversight and mentoring.

1. Jobanputra R, Webb DR, Sargeant JA, Ahmad E, Davies MJ, Yates TJ. Effects of weight-lowering pharmacotherapies on physical activity, function and fitness: a systematic review and meta-analysis Obesity Reviews 2022;  (Accepted for publication 04.11.22)

2. Yates T, Sargeant JA, King JA, Edwardson C, Redman E, Gulsin G, Ahmad E, Stensel D, Webb DR, McCann GP, Khunti K, Davies MJ. Initiation of new glucose lowering therapies may act to reduce physical activity levels. Pooled analysis from three randomised trials Diabetes Care 2022; 45:2749-2752 https://doi.org/10.2337/dc22-0888

3. Abner S, Gillies CL, Shabnam S, Zaccardi, F, Seidu S, Davies MJ, Webb DR. Consultation rates in people with type 2 diabetes with and without vascular complications a retrospective analysis of 141,328 adults in England. Cardiovascular Diabetology 2022; 21:1 https://doi:10.1186/s12933-021-01435-y

4. Ruan Y, et al. for the ABCD COVID-19 audit group (positioned 19/23 equal co-authors). A UK nationwide study of people with Type 1 Diabetes admitted to hospital with COVID-19 infection. Diabetologia 2021; 64:1717-1724 https://doi:10.1007/s00125-021-05463-x

5. Webb DR, Htike ZZ, Swarbrick DJ, Brady EM, Gray LJ, Biglands J, Gulsin GS, Henson J, Khunti K, McCann GP, Yates TJ, Sargeant JA, Davies MJ. A randomised open-label active comparator trial assessing the effects of 26 weeks of Liraglutide or Sitagliptin on cardiovascular function in young obese adults with type 2 diabetes – The LYDIA study. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 2020; 22: 1187-1196.https://doi:10.1111/dom.14023

6. Griffin S, Rutten GEHM, Khunti K, Witte D, Lauritzen T, Sharp S., Irving GJ, Davies MJ, Webb DR, Sandbaek A. Long-term effects of intensive multifactorial therapy in individuals with screen-detected Type 2 Diabetes in primary care: 10-year follow-up of the ADDITION-Europe cluster-randomised trial. Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology 2019; 7: 925-937 https://doi:10.1016/s2213-8587(19)30349/3

7. Kloecker DE., Zaccardi F, Baldry E, Davies MJ, Khunti K, Webb DR. Efficacy of low-very-low energy diets in people with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 2019;  21:1695-1705. https://doi:10.1111/dom.13727

8. Gulsin GS, Swarbrick DJ, Hunt WH, Levelt E, Graham-Brown MP. Parke KS, Webb DR, McCann G. Relation of aortic stiffness to left ventricular remodelling in younger adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Diabetes 2018; 67: 1395-1400. https://doi:10.2337/db18-0112

9. Zaccardi F, Dhalwani NN, Webb DR, Davies MJ, Khunti K. Global burden of hypoglycaemia-related mortality in 109 countries from 2000 to 2014: an analysis of death certificates. Diabetologia 2018 61: 1592-1602. https://doi:10.1007/s00125-018-4626-y

10. Zaccardi F, Htike ZZ, Webb DR, Khunti K, Davies MJ. Benefits and harms of once-weekly Glucagon-Like peptide-1 receptor agonist treatments: A systematic review and network meta-analysis. Annals of Internal Medicine 2016; 164:102-113https://doi:10.7326/M15-1432