Lifestyle Weight-Loss Programs Improve HbA1c in Type 2 Diabetes patients

The researchers ordered these changes in HbA1 levels as Whites/Caucasians (most beneficial effect) followed by Asians, Blacks/Africans and Hispanics/Latinos ( no changes). Researchers also added that HbA1c levels were significantly reduced in those with weight loss of > 5%.

The primary fundamental for the treatment and remission of diabetes is Weight reduction. Researchers assessed ethnic differences among Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) adults regarding the effects of lifestyle weight-loss interventions on HbA1c levels. The databases searched were PubMed/MEDLINE and Web of Science, and selected those RCTs using lifestyle weight-loss interventions in overweight or obese adults with T2DM were selected.

Researchers identified Thirty studies, including 7580 subjects from different ethnicities.

The study results could be summarised as follows:

• The lifestyle weight-loss intervention reduced Hb1Ac levels significantly.
• The beneficial effect was most significant in White/Caucasians with WMD of -0.59 and Asians having WMD of -0.48.
• The effects were not promising in the Black/African or Hispanic groups.

Concluding further, lifestyle weight-loss interventions drastically improves the HbA1c profile in T2DM patients with varying results in different ethnicities.

The study's findings highlight that ethnical difference is important in optimizing diabetes management.

The study has limitations like lack of ethnicity information, the small number of RCTs, and the lack of reports regarding diabetes duration and medication use.

Further reading:

Yang et al. Effect of lifestyle intervention on HbA1c levels in overweight and obese adults with type 2 diabetes across ethnicities: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diabres.2023.110662