Why losing weight may not be enough to prevent type 2 diabetes
Researchers have identified that certain genetic risk clusters for type 2 diabetes do not respond effectively to lifestyle changes like weight loss. Even with sustained weight reduction, individuals in 'cluster 5' continue to experience declining insulin production and rising blood sugar.
Why it matters
This challenges the universal 'eat less, move more' advice for diabetes prevention, suggesting that personalized medical approaches are necessary for high-risk patients.
Eating a nutritious diet, losing weight, and becoming more physically active can significantly reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. However, lifestyle changes do not appear to offer the same level of protection to everyone.
Researchers report that people assigned to T bingen's type 2 diabetes risk cluster 5 continued to experience rising blood sugar, a sharp decline in insulin production, and a consistently elevated risk of developing diabetes. These unfavorable changes occurred even among people who lost a substantial amount of weight and maintained that loss for years.
The findings come from scientists at the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), the University Hospital T bingen and Helmholtz Munich. The results were published in the scientific journal Diabetes .
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