UAB to Participate in Unique National Diabetes Study

The first long-term study to look at the effects of weight loss programs among people with Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes begins today at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

Posted on June 25, 2001 at 9:20 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The first long-term study to look at the effects of weight loss programs among people with Type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabetes begins today at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The university is one of 16 sites participating in the study, the largest one of its kind ever funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Delia West, Ph.D., associate professor of preventive medicine at UAB will direct the study here.

The study, called Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes), will measure the effectiveness of a reduced-calorie diet and regular exercise program on reducing heart attack- and stroke-related deaths among people with Type 2 diabetes, a disease commonly associated with obesity. Results will be compared with those from another program focusing on diabetes group support and education.

According to the American Diabetes Association, the incidence of Type 2 diabetes among middle-aged people aged 40 to 74 increased 38 percent between 1976 and 1994. “Type 2 diabetes is a growing epidemic in this country, largely due to the growing number of people who are overweight,” West says. “Obesity in America is a serious risk factor for a number of diseases, especially diabetes.”

The 11½-year study will garner $180 million from NIH. UAB will receive $7.5 million. The study will enroll 5,000 men and women, ages 45 to 75, who are overweight and who have type 2 diabetes. UAB will recruit 313 volunteers from this area. “We are recruiting whites as well as individuals from ethnic minority groups, especially African Americans, who have a higher rate of the disease,” West says.

Volunteers enrolled in the study will be assigned to either its Lifestyle Program or its Support and Education Program. Participants in the Lifestyle Program will adhere to an intensive diet and exercise program while participants in the Diabetes Support and Education Program will attend support group sessions and educational sessions focused on nutrition and activity.

Researchers will follow volunteers throughout the study, tracking heart disease risk factors, diabetes control and development of complications, general health and quality of life. “We know short-term weight loss can be beneficial to overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes,” West says. “The study will provide information about the role of long-term weight loss in improving the health of these individuals.”

For more information, contact (205) 97-LOOK2 (205-975-6652).