A diet-assisted weight loss trial for people with type 2 diabetes has revealed significant differences in various potential biomarkers of metabolic health one year later.
This study utilized data from the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT), a collaborative effort between the University of Bristol, University of Glasgow, and Newcastle University.
Titled “The metabolomic signature of weight loss and remission in the Diabetes Remission Clinical Trial (DiRECT),” the research has been published in Diabetologia.
The Importance of Weight Loss for Type 2 Diabetes Patients
Type 2 diabetes is prevalent in the UK, affecting more than 5 million people, with 90% having type 2 diabetes. Weight loss has become a crucial intervention for type 2 diabetes patients due to the DiRECT trial’s findings.
This trial revealed that a primary-care deployed dietary weight loss program called Counterweight-Plus could lead to remission of the condition.
The program has been adopted by the NHS as a clinically proven intervention for type 2 diabetes patients. However, its broader impact on patients’ metabolic health has remained largely unknown until now.
To investigate whether the benefits of weight loss extend to overall metabolic health, researchers from Bristol Medical School analyzed over 1,000 molecules or “metabolites” in blood samples from 261 participants of the DiRECT trial, both before and one year after starting the intervention.
This comprehensive approach, known as “the metabolome,” provided a detailed snapshot of cellular health at the time of sampling.
Key Findings and Implications
The study found that around 14% of all measured metabolites were altered by the intervention. Many of these changes were consistent with reversing the metabolic changes associated with type 2 diabetes onset.
Importantly, these changes were still evident many weeks after the weight loss phase, suggesting sustained health benefits for patients.
These findings reinforce the growing consensus about the significance of excess weight as a contributor to the development of type 2 diabetes and as a crucial target for treatment.
This consensus aligns with recent recommendations from organizations like the American Diabetes Association and European Association for the Study of Diabetes.
While most metabolic changes were linked to weight loss, some changes were unrelated to weight loss but likely stemmed from sustained dietary and medication modifications.
For instance, patients in the Counterweight-Plus arm of the trial showed increased levels of omega-3 fatty acids (associated with fish consumption) at the one-year mark compared to those in the control group.
Future Research and Implications
Dr. Laura Corbin, the study’s lead author, highlighted that the findings suggest weight loss through calorie restriction can reverse certain metabolic changes that occur before type 2 diabetes diagnosis.
However, not all patients who lost weight experienced this reversal.
The research team is currently comparing the metabolomic signature of this dietary-based intervention with that of bariatric surgery as an alternative weight loss approach.
In the future, they aim to incorporate data from emerging weight loss drugs like semaglutide.
Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the metabolic benefits of weight loss in type 2 diabetes patients, further emphasizing the importance of addressing excess weight in the management of this condition.
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The research findings can be found in Diabetologia.
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