Weight Loss No Help for Heart in Diabetes
An intensive lifestyle intervention focusing on weight loss did not reduce the rate of cardiovascular events in overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes, according to final results of the randomized controlled Look AHEAD trial.
The study was halted in September on the basis of a futility analysis that showed no significant differences in the composite primary outcome of death from cardiovascular causes, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for angina between those who had the intervention and those who only received support: 1.83 versus 1.92 events per 100 person-years, respectively (P=0.51).
Rena Wing, PhD, of Brown University, and colleagues reported their findings simultaneously online in the New England Journal of Medicine and at the American Diabetes Association meeting here.
Nonetheless, people in the intervention group benefited in terms of a host of other ways, Mary Evans, PhD, director of Look AHEAD at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, told The Gupta Guide.
“They sustained 6% weight loss over 10 years. They had clinically meaningful improvements in glycated hemoglobin levels and less diabetes and less retinopathy. There were also improvements in quality of life and reduction in depression,” she said.
Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the single most common cause of death in the UK†. CHD is caused by atherosclerosis - the furring up and narrowing of the small arteries that supply blood to the heart. When the flow of blood to the heart is restricted this causes pain - “angina”. If a blood clot forms within the narrowed arteries it can block the flow of blood to the heart and cause a heart attack.
Obesity and Heart Disease
The risk of CHD is increased by an unhealthy diet, High cholesterol levels (mainly caused by too much fat in the diet) and obesity (particularly where excess weight is stored around the waist). Being overweight can also contribute to high blood pressure (hypertension) which increases your risk of CHD.
Losing Weight Good for Your Heart
Losing weight / maintaining a healthy weight will help protect you from heart disease. Research has also shown that many overweight people with angina, raised blood cholesterol and high blood pressure found their conditions improved even after losing just some of their excess weight.
Benefits of Healthy Balanced Diet
It is estimated that up to 30% of deaths from CHD are due to unhealthy diets†. Eating a healthy balanced diet will help look after your heart. Aim to:
Increase your fruit and vegetable intake.
Reduce your fat intake.
Increase your intake of wholegrain foods, such as breads, cereals, rice.
Reduce your salt intake.
Increase your intake of oily fish.
Following the Weight Loss Resources’ recommended nutrition profile - 55% carbs; 15% protein; 30% fat - will ensure your body gets the right amount of vitamins and minerals and energy levels to keep everything in working order.
Evans said explanations for the lack of benefit among people in the intervention group include greater use of medications in the control group. “The drugs, particularly statins, could have lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease.
“Or perhaps people in the intervention group didn’t achieve enough weight loss,” she said.
Ramp up your home cooking with these nutrient-packed dishes the next time your tummy - or your heart - needs a boost
When you’re the chef, the power to eat healthy is in your hands.
“The more that people eat at home and prepare their own meals, the better they do at losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight,” which decreases your risk of heart attack and stroke, says Judith Wylie-Rosett, Ed.D., R.D., a spokesperson for the American Heart Association.
That’s because restaurant meals tend to include few vegetables and contain high amounts of calories, artery-clogging fat, and blood-pressure-elevating sodium.
The Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) trial enrolled 5,145 overweight or obese patients with type 2 diabetes at 16 centers in the U.S.
Patients were randomized to either an intensive lifestyle intervention that focused on cutting calories and increasing physical activity or to a control group that only received diabetes support and education.