A dietitian at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital is undertaking an IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition to help patients with diabetes safely and effectively incorporate exercise into their lives.

On completion of the two-year distance learning course, Manyee Li will have the knowledge and skills to give patients with diabetes a complete diet and exercise programme.

Manyee, who has been a diabetes specialist since November 2009, explained: “We all know the benefits of exercise for our health and well-being, but some patients with diabetes are worried about undertaking physical activity because they’re not sure if they’ll be able to manage their blood sugar levels. On the flipside, we also see some elite athletes who exercise regularly but are concerned their condition may be hindering their performance and want to know how to combat this.

“I’m really grateful to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity for funding this course which I think will have a huge impact on the service we provide here. I’m already more aware of how certain foods affect performance and I’m looking forward to being able to tailor-make a programme for each of our patients, incorporating their diet and exercise needs into one package.”

Jonathan Webber, diabetes consultant, added: “I’d like to echo Manyee’s thanks to the hospital’s official charity for funding this excellent course and enabling us to have our own in-house expert. Managing exercise safely is vital and so we are really pleased to be able to offer this service to our patients. We would much rather people have the opportunity to discuss face to face how to stay healthy and exercise with diabetes, rather than have to rely on information on the Internet, which may not be accurate. By sharing the knowledge Manyee gains among department staff, we can give many patients the benefits of this course.”