Weight reduction is key for people with type 2 diabetes

Individuals living with type 2 diabetes are less likely to hit their HbA1c targets while their BMIs are increasing, an obesity specialist has said. 

Speaking last week at the Obesity and Weight Management Alliance Conference, Professor Melanie Davies, Honorary Consultant Diabetologist at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, revealed that excess weight is a key component of type 2 diabetes pathophysiology.

According to Professor Davies, most people with type 2 diabetes live with multiple long-term conditions (MLTC) and excess adiposity.

She said: “There is an association between BMI and controlled HbA1c, therefore if we focused on weight loss, everything else will be improved. We are also now in the realm of new therapies coming through.”

Weight loss of five to 15 per cent should be a primary target in the management for many people living with type 2 diabetes, according to Professor Davies.

In addition, she identified that weight loss may exert benefits that extend beyond glycaemic management to improve risk factors for cardiometabolic disease and quality of life.