Community fitness programs help patients with type 2 diabetes control their weight, a latest study shows.
Researchers found that patients taking part in a well-planned weight-loss program improve blood sugar levels, control weight and reduce or stop insulin use and other medications better than other diabetic patients who not enrolled in such programs.
"Weight loss is a primary strategy for successful management of type 2 diabetes due to its impact on glycemic control and improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors," lead investigator of the study, Cheryl L. Rock, PhD, RD, professor of Family and Preventive Medicine, said in a press statement.
"These study results suggest that patients not only lose weight on structured commercial weight loss programs that include behavioral modification and individual support, but that this weight loss translates to significant improvements in diabetes control and cardio-metabolic parameters."
The researchers at the University of California San Diego and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, studied 227 overweight diabetic patients. They were tracked from March 2012 to August 2012. The patients were divided into two groups. One was an experimental group that was in the structured weight-loss program and the second one acted as a control group.
The program taught patients to care for their diabetes by themselves, made them aware about weight control and portioned-controlled food and included a planned menu for the first six months. The participants also had personal counseling sessions.
The members in the control group had standard care, such as general education about diabetes management, a one-hour session about weight loss at the beginning and at the end of the six-month period, and monthly phone or e-mail follow-ups. Jenny Craig provided the services.
The study findings reveal that participants from the experimental group reported 8.2 percent weight loss compared to just 2.5 percent of weight loss in the control group.
Researchers found that the participants from the experimental group also had reduced depression symptoms and medications use. They were reported to have better blood sugar control whereas the control group did not show any significant changes.
"Support and a tailored lifestyle intervention have been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease risk factors and adverse outcomes in people with diabetes," added Rock. "However, most overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes do not receive this degree of support for changes in diet and physical activity to promote weight loss in their clinical care, due in part to constraints of time and training for most health care providers and clinicians."
According to the researchers, if such structured programs were more accessible to overweight diabetic patients, their overall health could improve significantly, which would then put less strain on the health care system. The study was published in Diabetes Care.
