Magnitude of A1C improvement in relation to baseline A1C and amount of weight loss in response to intensive lifestyle intervention in real-world diabetes practice: 13 years of observation.

BACKGROUND: Effect of intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) on A1C in participants with diabetes is underestimated. A1C improvement is presumed to be dependent on the amount of weight loss. Here, we evaluate the magnitude of A1C change in relation to baseline A1C and the amount of weight loss in participants with diabetes who underwent ILI over 13 years in real-world clinical practice. METHODS: A total of 590 participants with diabetes were enrolled in the Weight Achievement and Intensive Treatment (Why WAIT) program, a 12-week multidisciplinary ILI program designed for real-world clinical practice between September 2005 and May 2018. We stratified participants based on baseline A1C into three groups: group A: A1C ≥ 9%, group B: A1C 8 to <9%, and group C: A1C ≥6.5% to <8%. RESULTS: After 12-weeks of intervention, body weight decreased in all groups, and pairwise comparisons of A1C changes showed that: group A had 1.3% greater A1C reduction than group B (p = 0.0001) and 2% greater than group C (p = 0.0001), while group B had 0.7% greater A1C reduction than group C (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: We conclude that ILI may decrease A1C by up to 2.5% in participants with diabetes. At similar magnitude of weight loss, A1C reduction was more prominent in participants with higher baseline A1C. This may be valuable for clinicians to set a realistic expectation of A1C change in response to ILI.

Prevalence of and risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and fibrosis among young adults in Egypt.

OBJECTIVE: Limited literature has examined the epidemiology of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and fibrosis among young adults in Egypt, a country with one of the highest obesity rates globally. We assessed the prevalence of steatosis and fibrosis among college students in Egypt. DESIGN: In this cross-sectional study, we recruited students unaware of having fatty liver via a call-for-participation at a private university in the Dakahlia governorate of Egypt. Primary outcomes were the prevalence of steatosis as determined by the controlled attenuation parameter component of transient elastography and fibrosis as determined by the liver stiffness measurement component of transient elastography. Secondary outcomes were clinical parameters and socioeconomic factors associated with the presence and severity of steatosis and fibrosis. RESULTS: Of 132 participants evaluated for the study, 120 (91%) were included (median (IQR) age, 20 (19-21) years; 65 (54.2%) female). A total of 38 participants (31.6%) had steatosis, among whom 22 (57.9%) had S3 (severe) steatosis. There was a higher risk for steatosis in persons with overweight (adjusted OR 9.67, 95% CI (2.94 to 31.7, p<0.0001) and obesity (adjusted OR 13.87, 95% CI 4.41 to 43.6, p<0.0001) compared with lean persons. Moreover, higher level of parental education was associated with progressing steatosis stages (S1-S3). Six (5%) participants had transient elastography values equivalent to F2-F3 fibrosis (four with F2 fibrosis (≥7.9 kPa), and two with F3 fibrosis (≥8.8 kPa)). CONCLUSION: In this cohort of college students in Egypt, around 1 in 3 had steatosis, and 1 in 20 had moderate-to-advanced fibrosis, an established risk factor for hepatic and extrahepatic morbidity and mortality. These data underscore the urgency to address the silent epidemic of NAFLD among young adults in the Middle East-North Africa region.

Effect of dairy consumption and its fat content on glycemic control and cardiovascular disease risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes: a randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend the consumption of 3 servings/d of low-fat/nonfat dairy. The effects of higher dairy consumption and its fat content are unknown in patients with type 2 diabetes. OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the impact of higher consumption of high- compared with low-fat dairy on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body weight, and cardiovascular disease risk factors in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: We enrolled 111 subjects with type 2 diabetes (aged 58.5 ± 8.9 y, 47% females, diabetes duration 13.2 ± 8.3 y, HbA1c 8.09 ± 0.96%) who consumed <3 servings of dairy/d. We randomly assigned them into 3 groups: control group maintained baseline dairy intake, low-fat (LF) group incorporated ≥3 servings/d of LF dairy, and the high-fat (HF) group incorporated ≥3 servings/d of HF dairy. We evaluated HbA1c, body weight, BMI, body composition parameters, blood pressure (BP), lipid parameters, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and total energy and macronutrient intake at baseline, and after 12 and 24 wk. RESULTS: At 24 wk, percent energy from saturated fat increased from baseline in the HF group by 3.6%, (95% CI: 2.2, 5.1) and decreased in the LF group by -1.9% (95% CI: -3.3, -0.4). The LF group increased their percent energy from protein by 4.5% (95% CI: 2.6, 6.4), whereas the HF group decreased their percent energy from carbohydrates by -3.4% (95% CI: -0.2, -6.7). There were no differences in the mean changes in HbA1c, body weight, BMI, body composition or lipid parameters, or BP between the 3 groups at 24 wk. CONCLUSION: In patients with type 2 diabetes, increased dairy consumption to ≥3 servings/d compared with <3 servings/d, irrespective of its fat content, while maintaining energy intake has no effect on HbA1c, body weight, body composition, lipid profile, or BP. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02895867.

Dairy Consumption and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes and Overweight or Obesity during Intensive Multidisciplinary Weight Management: A Prospective Observational Study.

Dairy products are integral parts of healthy diets; however, their association with cardiometabolic (CM) health among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) undergoing weight management is debated. We examined the relationship between dairy consumption and CM biomarkers in 45 subjects with T2D and obesity (mean age 56 ± 9 yrs, 40% female) enrolled in a 12-week intensive multidisciplinary weight management (IMWM) program. After the IMWM program (intervention phase), subjects were followed for 12 weeks (maintenance phase). We stratified subjects based on initial average dairy consumption into infrequent (IFR), less-frequent (LFR), and frequent (FR) consumers. Outcomes were assessed at baseline, 12, and 24 weeks. There were no differences between tertiles at baseline except for higher total energy intake among FR compared with IFR. HbA1c changes showed no association with dairy consumption at 12 or 24 weeks. FR Females achieved greater weight loss at 12 weeks compared with IFR peers (-4.5 kg; 95%CI: -5.5, -3.5). There was a trend towards lower HDL-C with increasing dairy consumption during the intervention phase. In subjects with T2D and overweight or obesity, dairy consumption during weight management is not associated with HbA1c changes but with lower HDL-C and with higher magnitude of weight loss among females.

Effect of diabetes-specific nutrition formulas on satiety and hunger hormones in patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: Diabetes-specific nutritional formulas (DSNFs) are frequently used by patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) as part of nutrition therapy to improve glycemic control and reduce body weight. However, their effects on hunger and satiety hormones when compared to an isocaloric standardized breakfast are not fully understood. This study aims to evaluate the postprandial effects of two DSNFs-Glucerna (GL) and Ultra Glucose Control (UGC)-versus oatmeal on selected satiety and hunger hormones. METHOD: After an overnight fast, 22 patients with T2D (mean age 62.3 ± 6.8 years, A1C 6.8 ± 0.7%, body weight 97.4 ± 21.3 kg, and BMI 33.2 ± 5.9 kg/m²) were given 200 kcal of each meal on three separate days. Blood samples for amylin, cholecystokinin (CCK), ghrelin, glucagon, leptin, and peptide-YY (PYY) were collected at baseline and 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 240 min after the start of each meal. Incremental area under the curve (iAUC0-240) for each hormone was calculated. RESULTS: iAUC0-240 for glucagon and PYY were significantly higher after GL and UGC than after oatmeal (p < 0.001 for both). No difference was observed between the three meals on postprandial amylin, CCK, ghrelin, and leptin hormones. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of DSNFs significantly increases secretion of PYY and glucagon, two important satiety hormones. While subjective satiety was not directly evaluated, the increased effect on satiety hormones may partially explain the mechanism of body weight loss associated with DSNF use.