According to a new study by researchers at the University of Glasgow, losing weight can be more effective than medication for many type 2 diabetes sufferers.
Researchers tracked 1,500 patients who followed a simple lifestyle programme and compared them to those who did not. The patients completed a 16-week course and researchers found that their blood sugar was more stable, and half of the patients were likely to move on to take insulin.
According to the study published in Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism, the patients who participated in this 4-month course were also an average 8kg lighter than what they used to be three years ago. Furthermore, researchers have also stated that losing 5kg in weight can significantly improve a patients' blood sugar even after three years.
The lead author of the research, Jennifer Logue said, “Weight management programmes... can have a long-lasting, meaningful clinical effect on type 2 diabetes. Our hope is that this study will convince patients, clinicians and NHS managers that these inexpensive programmes can make a clinically significant difference to patients.”
