Effect of a low-calorie high nutritional value formula on weight loss in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

We treated 96 obese diabetic subjects (BMI 33–44 kg/m2) with a “package of interventions” including therapeutic education, regular follow-up at 15-day intervals and a hypocaloric diet of 60% of their daily needs, 20% at breakfast and 40% at each meal. At the beginning of the observation and after 3 and 6 months we checked certain baseline characteristics. All the subjects performed self blood glucose measurement (SMBG) 3 or 5 times a day and kept a log. After the first 3 months of observation (Phase 1) 18 were lost to follow-up and 40 who obtained a weight loss >5% of their initial BW continued on their diet (G-). The remaining 38 substituted a nutritionally rich hypocaloric meal (Glucerna® SR) for 206 calories of one of the main meals (G+). During the following three months (Phase 2) all were treated with the package of interventions. The subjects treated with Glucerna® SR had a more consistent weight loss and a more remarkable improvement of the parameters under evaluation, with greater statistical significance. With the logistic regression analysis the residual variance not explained by the weight loss was greater for the G+ group, which implies the existence of an additional beneficial effect of the formula used. Of great relevance is the observation that the G+ group had a reduction of the standard deviation of the SMBG data, thus suggesting a greater stability of the BG values in this group.