Diabetes Health in The News: Weight Gain After Beginning Insulin Therapy Attributed to Sedentary Behavior

The reason many type 2 diabetics gain weight shortly after beginning insulin therapy may be due to acting more sedentary instead of lowering their levels of physical activity. This suggestion comes from researchers at Raboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The study showed that weight gain was common in those who were not obese and had a BMI of less than 30 kg/m2.

The study looked at patients who were beginning insulin therapy. Researchers collected information such as BMI and fasting glucose at the beginning of their insulin therapy, then again at 6 months and at 12 months. During this time, patients utilized armbands that tracked their activity. After 12 months, while the A1c and fasting glucose decreased, the average weight increased by 2.9 kg. Daily steps, though, also decreased by an average of almost 2,000 steps.

Those with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or less reported more sedentary behavior than patients with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or higher. Those with lower BMI also reported an increase in the circumference of their waists.

These findings were published in Diabetes Care on July 10, 2017.

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