Weight loss has long been known to reduce the risk of diabetes and now there is a new tool in the fight against the disease. Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine have now established that Weight Watchers helps people develop the lifestyle changes that can prevent the onset of diabetes.
An article published on Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health reports that people who participated in Weight Watchers after attending one class focused on diabetes prevention lost 5.5 percent of their body weight after 6 months, and maintained the loss after 12 months. People in the control group lost only 1 percent and tended to regain some of that weight at 12 months.
Previous research has shown that losing about 5 percent of body weight reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent, so it makes sense that a weight loss program would be beneficial. However, until now it had not been established that Weight Watchers would be effective in specifically preventing the disease.
The study was funded by Weight Watchers, and had 225 participants testing how effective the program could be, as compared to other interventions such as the Diabetes Prevention Program, which combines personal training and individualized coaching. Dr. David Marrero said the study was not trying to determine whether one program was better than the other, but rather whether Weight Watchers would work. The answer was a resounding “yes.”
Similar to the Diabetes Prevention Program, Weight Watchers incorporates a lifestyle change approach that includes healthy eating, monitoring food intaking and encouraging physical activities. Marrero said that he found the Weight Watchers plan to be more user friendly, offering participants more flexibility and more available meeting sites. People can attend meetings on line, and in-person gatherings last only one-half hour, compared to hour and a half sessions in the Diabetes Prevention Program.
The findings have caused Weight Watchers stock to rise, up by 7.69 percent to $13.58 in Friday’s morning training.