While losing weight may help many pre-diabetics manage their condition, it may not help all, findings reveal

Losing weight can help pre-diabetic patients, but it isn’t always sufficient to reverse the disease, says a new study. 

According to research by the Centenary Institute, certain fats in blood can predict whether losing weight will help pre-diabetic patients. The discovery could help doctors create better, more personalized plans to prevent and treat type 2 diabetes. 

What is Pre-diabetes?  

It's a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a major health concern in India. According to a 2023 Indian health ministry survey, 136 million people in the country are pre-diabetic, and another 101 million diabetic.  

Doctors often recommend losing weight through diet to bring blood sugar levels back to normal. While this approach helps many people improve their condition, it's not a perfect solution for everyone. Some people may develop diabetes despite losing weight, and not all individuals with pre-diabetes are overweight. More than half of people with pre-diabetes don't achieve normal blood sugar levels even after losing weight. 

What does the new study say?  

Researchers studied blood samples from 104 people with pre-diabetes who lost at least 8% of their body weight through a low-calorie diet. They used advanced technology and machine learning to analyze hundreds of different fats (lipids) in the blood before and after the diet. 

The study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that weight loss led to significant changes in several types of blood fats. More importantly, they discovered that certain fats measured before weight loss could predict how much a person's blood sugar would improve afterward. 

For example, some fats called sphingolipids, found in cell membranes, were linked to changes in fasting blood sugar levels. Other fats were associated with improvements in important indicators like hemoglobin A1c (a long-term measure of blood sugar), insulin levels, and insulin resistance. 

This discovery of "lipid biomarkers" offers hope for more effective diabetes prevention strategies. Instead of giving everyone the same advice, doctors might be able to look at a person's blood fats and predict whether weight loss will help them. This could lead to more personalized and effective treatments. 

For instance, if a doctor sees that a patient's blood fats suggest they won't respond well to weight loss alone, they might recommend additional strategies or more intensive monitoring. On the other hand, for those whose blood fats indicate a good response to weight loss, doctors can confidently encourage this approach. 

This research is a step towards precision medicine in diabetes prevention. By understanding each person's unique biology, healthcare providers can offer more targeted and effective advice. This could potentially help millions of people avoid developing full-blown diabetes, reducing the burden on healthcare systems and improving quality of life. 

While more research is needed to turn these findings into practical tests and guidelines, the study offers a promising new direction in the fight against diabetes. As we continue to decode the complexities of how our bodies process sugar and fats, we move closer to better ways of keeping people healthy.