[acb-diabetics] How type 2 can lose weight and keepit off

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

How Type 2s Can Lose Weight, Keep It Off: Study

 

An intensive lifestyle change program helped people with Type 2 diabetes
lose weight and keep it off, a new study shows. Intensive lifestyle change
program

yielded better results than support group. Diabetes control and
cardiovascular risks were sustained over four years.. 

 

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An intensive lifestyle intervention program designed to achieve and maintain
weight loss improves diabetes control and cardiovascular disease risk
factors

in overweight and obese individuals with Type 2 diabetes, according to
four-year results of the Look AHEAD study, funded by the National Institutes
of

Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

 

Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) is a multi-center, randomized
clinical trial investigating the effects of an intensive lifestyle
intervention

program. It will evaluate the effect of reduced caloric intake and increased
physical activity on the incidence of major cardiovascular events such as

heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular-related death. 

 

At study entry, 5,145 participants at 16 centers across the United States
were randomly assigned to one of two interventions. Those in a so-called
intensive

lifestyle intervention group met regularly with a lifestyle counselor in a
combination of group and individual sessions. They were given specific
caloric

consumption and exercise goals, were encouraged to maintain a diet and
exercise diary, and were taught behavioral skills such as problem solving
and goal

setting. After the first year, participants were seen individually at least
once monthly, had at least one additional phone or email contact each month,

and were invited to attend additional group classes. Those in the diabetes
support and education group were invited to group sessions each year focused

on diet, physical activity, or social support. They were not weighed at
these sessions or counseled on behavioral strategies.

 

At the time of enrollment, participants were between 45 and 76 years of age.
Most were obese with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 36. BMI is a measure of

weight in relation to height. A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered healthy, a
BMI of 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and 30 or more is obese. Thirty-seven
percent

of participants were from racial and ethnic minority groups, and
approximately 60 percent were women. Over 94 percent of participants remain
involved after

four years and will continue to be followed for up to 13.5 years. 

 

Over the first four years of Look AHEAD, participants in both groups showed
positive changes in their health. On average, across all four years,
participants

in the intensive lifestyle group lost significantly more weight than
participants in the support and education group. On average, members of the
lifestyle

group lost 6.2 percent of their initial body weight, and members of the
support and education group lost 0.9 percent of their initial body weight.
The

intensive intervention group also experienced greater improvements in
fitness, diabetes control, blood pressure, HDL (good) cholesterol, and
triglycerides.

The diabetes support group showed larger reductions in LDL (bad)
cholesterol, a change associated with the increased use of
cholesterol-lowering medications.

The study results do not break down results by demographic groups such as
gender, age, race or ethnicity. 

 

Longer-term follow-up of Look AHEAD participants will determine whether
improvements in risk factors including blood pressure, lipids and glucose
control

can be sustained -- independently and as a consequence of continued weight
loss -- and whether the intensive lifestyle intervention is effective in
reducing

the incidence of illness and death due to cardiovascular disease. Other
important study objectives include understanding the impact of weight loss
and

improved fitness on diabetes complications, general health, quality of life,
and psychological outcomes. Researchers also will evaluate the cost and
cost-effectiveness

of the intensive lifestyle intervention compared to diabetes support and
education.

 

Find more information about the Look AHEAD trial (NCT00017953) at 

www.lookaheadtrial.org

. For a list of centers enrolling patients for diabetes or obesity trials,
search for keywords "diabetes" or "obesity" at 

www.clinicaltrials.gov.

 

Archives of Internal Medicine. Sept 27, 2010

 

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