Patients who lose weight soon after diagnosis of type 2 diabetes have improved control of their blood pressure and sugar levels, according to a study published online in the American Diabetes Association journal Diabetes Care.

In addition, it is suggested that such patients are more likely to maintain control over their blood sugar and pressure levels even if they regain weight, Eurekalert notes.

A total of 2,574 adults with type 2 diabetes were followed between 1997 and 2002 and it was discovered that those who lost weight within an average of 18 months after their diagnosis were twice as likely to achieve their target levels of blood pressure and sugar than those who did not.

Of the participants, most patients remained at the same weight throughout the first three years of the study, but 314 lost an average of 23 pounds and were more likely to meet their targets during the fourth year, despite the fact that most had regained the weight by this stage,

"We ... know that losing weight reduces the risk factors that often lead to heart disease, blindness, nerve and kidney damage, amputations and death in type 2 diabetes patients," comments Gregory Nichols a co-author at Kaiser Permanente's Centre for Health Research.

In related news, Eurkealert also notes that a report published in the August issue of Archives of Neurology and carried out by staff at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota suggested that individuals with cognitive impairment appear to have earlier onset, longer duration and greater severity of diabetes.

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