Bermuda has been chosen as one of just 20 countries worldwide to participate in new study which hopes to identify whether diabetes is a preventable disease.

Two hundred people are being sought locally to join a total of 4,000 across the globe who will test the effectiveness of two drugs - Romapril and Rosiglitazone - in preventing onslaught of Type 2 Diabetes. But, if the study proves successful, those participants will have been part of an undertaking which could save countless lives and improve the quality of life for millions.

Within Bermuda the study is a cooperative venture between the Diabetes Association, the Heart Foundation and the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.

Yesterday, KEMH Diabetes Centre coordinator Debbie Jones made a presentation to hospital nurses about the study - called DREAM for Diabetes Reduction Assessment with Romapril and Rosiglitazone Medications.

Ms Jones explained the criteria for participant selection and the basics of the study which is being run out of McMaster University in Canada.

Essentially, the DREAM team is seeking people who do not have diabetes, but are at risk to develop the disease. These are people who may have been told in the past that they have shown higher blood sugar readings than normal.

People who may be at risk to develop diabetes can have the following risk factors:

Age 30 or older

History of diabetes in the family

Overweight

High blood pressure

Given birth to a baby that weighed over 9 lbs

Had diabetes during pregnancy

But it is also acknowledged they may not have these factors as well.

The local DREAM team - who is working on a completely voluntary basis - will administer a test for high blood sugar - or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) - on potential participants.

If chosen to participate in the study, the individual will have to go to the hospital on a Saturday for a series of tests and then receive blood tests periodically over the next five years.

Working in conjunction with Ms Jones on the DREAM team, is hospital director of Cardiac Care and Chief of Medicine Dr. Shane Marshall. Dr. Marshall explained that the link between heart disease and diabetes makes the study of critical interest to cardiologists and the Heart Foundation.

And he said the drugs being tested in the diabetes study are not experimental and are prescribed, safely, daily for other health problems.

If the participants do develop diabetes - which Dr. Marshall said one in 20 people who are IGT do - it will be caught earlier and treated more attentively.

But, Ms Jones said, generally participants in these types of medical studies have been seen to exhibit better overall health simply because of the close monitoring that accompanies participation.

Selected participants may end up taking one of the drugs, a combination of the two drugs or a placebo in a nightly dose before going to bed.

Ms Jones said 32 people have already been identified for the study and local testing will begin on September 8. Unusually, Bermuda is being allocated as many participant slots for its population of 62,000 as China is for its population of over 2 billion.

Bermuda was chosen primarily due to the high quality of the local Diabetes Centre, Dr. Marshall said yesterday.

Residents interested in participating in the DREAM study should contact the Diabetes Centre at 239-2027.

There are roughly 8,000 people in Bermuda with Type 2 diabetes. Ms Jones said she estimates there are probably another 8,000 at risk to develop the disease.