Weight-loss method doesn't matter in fending off diabetes

Linda Searing
Washington Post

The question: Losing weight often can help reduce the likelihood of developing diabetes. Does risk depend on whether the pounds come off as a result of cutting calories or of exercising more?

This study randomly assigned 46 people in their 50s, generally sedentary and overweight but not obese, to one of two weight-loss groups or a healthy lifestyle maintenance group.

People in one weight-loss group exercised 60 to 90 minutes a day, increasing energy expenditure by up to 20 percent, but did not change their diet; the people in the other weight-loss group restricted calories consumed by up to 20 percent but did not change exercise patterns.

Those in the maintenance group were offered advice on healthful eating and free yoga classes, but few accepted.

After a year, both the exercisers and calorie-cutters had lost an average of seven to eight pounds; weight was unchanged in the maintenance group. Those who lost weight also showed improvements on blood tests that indicate how effectively the body uses insulin, considered indicators of diabetes risk.

There was virtually no difference between the exercisers and calorie-cutters; blood tests of the maintenance group registered no changes.

Who may be affected by these findings? Overweight people who want to reduce the risk of diabetes. In the past 15 years, the number of people in the United States found to have diabetes has more than doubled, to nearly 15 million. An estimated 6 million more have the disease but do not know it.

Caveats: Whether greater benefit would be achieved by combining exercise and calorie restriction was not tested. Also, the study included a small number of participants.

Find this study in the November issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition; abstract available at www.ajcn.org.

Learn more about diabetes at ndep.nih.gov and www.diabetes.org.