NEW YORK, May 25 (Reuters Health) - While losing weight, exercising and
quitting smoking can lower rates and improve symptoms in patients with type 2
diabetes, most patients fail to sustain such health-promoting behaviors long
enough to see results, a new study reports.
Further, many diabetics do not even initiate attempts to improve health,
researchers found.
In type 2 diabetes, the body does not respond normally to insulin, a hormone
that deposits glucose (sugar) from food into cells throughout the body. As a
result, levels of glucose in the blood rise, putting patients at risk for heart
disease, kidney disease and nerve damage.
Obesity is a major risk factor for diabetes. Indeed, about 88% of patients
are overweight or obese, the study notes.
"Given the devastating effects of diabetes complications, one might expect
that those diagnosed with this disease would be motivated to make greater
efforts than the general population to control their weight, to improve eating
habits, and to increase their level of physical activity," write Dr. Faryle
Nothwehr and Tim Stump of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research in
Indianapolis.
Even a modest weight loss--5% to 10% of body weight--can improve symptoms,
the authors note.
But according to their report in the May issue of Preventive Medicine, many
people with type 2 diabetes do not attempt to lose weight. And among those who
initiated weight-loss measures, many quit within 4 years.
Investigators reviewed data from the Health and Retirement Study, a national
survey of health behaviors. Their review included 733 people between 50-62 years
with type 2 diabetes. About 86% of diabetics were overweight or obese.
At the beginning of the study about 80% of people said they were on a diet
to control their blood sugar, and more than half said they were trying to lose
weight. Women reported these behaviors more often than men, researchers note.
Two thirds of diabetics exercised and more than three quarters said they did
not smoke when the study began. Men were more likely to smoke than women.
Over time, many people abandoned healthy behaviors. For example, nearly a
third of those who were on a special diet at the outset had quit, although some
who were not on a diet initially had begun one at follow-up.
About 44% of those who were trying to lose weight when the study began had
abandoned their efforts. The authors note these individuals gained weight over
time while those who sustained weight loss efforts lost weight. Further, more
individuals who exercised at the outset had quit than were continuing to
exercise after 4 years, investigators found.
The authors call for future studies to investigate what motivates people to
maintain healthy lifestyle habits.
"A better understanding of factors contributing to a person's decision to
begin or discontinue health-promoting behaviors is needed to plan effective
supportive or preemptive interventions," they conclude.
