Healthy living
Body matters
Weight loss may help control diabetes
Just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes? Shed pounds now to reap years of health dividends say researchers
People who lose weight soon after being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes maintain better control of their blood pressure and blood sugar, even if they later regain some of that weight, say US scientists.
According to the journal of the American Diabetes Association, Diabetes Care, this is the first clinical study to show that the health benefits remain even if patients put the weight back on again.
The study, by the Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, tracked the weight loss and weight gain trends of a group of more than 2,500 newly diagnosed patients with type 2 diabetes over the course of four years.
Those who lost weight within an average of 18 months after diagnosis were up to twice as likely to achieve their blood pressure and blood sugar targets as those who didn't lose weight. The health benefits may help prevent diabetes-related heart disease, blindness and nerve and kidney damage.
"Our study shows that early weight loss can reduce the risk factors that so often lead to diabetes complications and death," says Dr Adrianne Feldstein, of the Kaiser Permanente's Center.
"We've known for a long time that weight loss is an important component in diabetes treatment and prevention. Now it appears there may be a critical window of opportunity following diagnosis in which some lasting gains can be achieved if people are willing to take immediate steps toward lifestyle changes."
Funded by the National Institutes of Health, the four-year study followed 2,574 patients with type 2 diabetes between 1997 and 2002. Scientists monitored the weight gain and loss patterns of these patients for three years, and then in the fourth year compared glucose control tests and blood pressure readings.
Most patients remained at about the same weight during the first three years of the study, but a small group of 314 patients lost an average of 23 pounds. This group was more likely to meet blood pressure and glucose targets during the fourth year even though, by that time, most of them had regained their weight.
"We don't know if the initial weight loss increased the body's sensitivity to insulin, or if the sustained lifestyle changes were the reason for the long-term health benefits," said Gregory A. Nichols, Ph.D., a study co-author at Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research.
"But we do know that losing weight reduces the risk factors that often lead to heart disease, blindness, nerve and kidney damage, amputations, and death in type 2 diabetes patients."
Commenting on the study, Dr Iain Frame, Director of Research at leading health charity Diabetes UK, said:
"The results of this study are interesting. However, we already know that Type 2 diabetes can be undetected for up to 12 years before it is diagnosed. Therefore, although the study measures the effect of early weight loss for four years from the point of diagnosis, we can't be certain how long participants actually had the condition before they began the study. It is possible that those who benefited most from the effects of weight loss soon after being diagnosed had only recently developed Type 2 diabetes. An early diagnosis gave them the best chance of effectively controlling it and reducing their risk of serious complications.
"Equally, those who did not benefit as much from 'early' weight loss may have had the progressive condition for longer, which could have made it more challenging to control. When you consider that around half of all people with Type 2 diabetes have signs of complications at diagnosis, you can see why early detection of the condition is vital.
"Maintaining a healthy weight is key to good diabetes control. Eating a healthy balanced diet and taking regular physical activity is the best way of doing this. Poorly controlled diabetes increases the risk of serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness and amputation. For more information visit www.diabetes.org.uk."
More on diabetes
- The Saga health calculator
- Prevent type 2 diabetes
- Tackle diabetes with tai chi
- Single pill cuts diabetes complications
- Vitamin B1 may help prevent diabetes complications
- Complementary therapies and diabetes may not mix
- Diabetes: when treatment is a pain
More on weight loss
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
