Immediate Weight Loss Key for Diabetics

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Weight loss is important for the millions of Americans who have type 2 diabetes. But a new study finds weight loss right after diagnosis can have lasting effects, even if the person regains the weight later on.

More than 20 million Americans have type 2 diabetes and most of them are overweight or obese. Researchers from Kaiser Permanente in Oregon and Washington conducted a study following more than 2,500 patients with type 2 diabetes for four years. They tracked the weight gains and losses of the participants and in the fourth year compared glucose control tests and blood pressure readings.

Study authors say most of the participants stayed the same weight during the three years, however 314 patients dropped an average of 23 pounds. Interestingly this group was more likely to meet blood pressure and glucose targets in the fourth year, even though by that time most of the people 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,” Gregory Nichols, Ph.D., study co-author of Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research was quoted as saying. “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.”

SOURCE: Published online in the journal, Diabetes Care

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