Health Research

August 12, 2008

Losing Weight After Diabetes Diagnosis Can Prevent Diabetes-Related Disease, Kaiser Permanente Study Finds

The study, which followed more than 2,500 adults with type 2 diabetes for four years, is the first to show that benefits such as better control of blood pressure and blood sugar remained even if patients regained weight.

People who lose weight soon after a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes have better control of their blood pressure and blood sugar, and are more likely to maintain control of their blood pressure and blood sugar even if they regain their weight, according to a Kaiser Permanente study published online Aug. 12.

The study, by Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., was published in the American Diabetes Association's journal, Diabetes Care.

This is the first clinical study to show that benefits remain even if patients regain their weight. The study followed more than 2,500 adults with type 2 diabetes for 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. Those benefits can prevent diabetes-related heart disease, blindness, nerve and kidney damage, and death.

For more information, and weight loss tips for diabetics and pre-diabetics, read this press release.