Research Findings

Five groups of patients enrolled in the Why WAIT program were studied, for a total of 62 participants (22 men and 40 women). They had an average age of 56.1+1.4 years (mean±SE), diabetes duration of 7.2+0.8 years, and a BMI of 38.3+0.69 kg/m² Over 12 weeks, participants lost an average of 23.5+1.2 lbs or 9.8+0.4% of their initial body weight (p<0.001) and 3.7+0.3 inches from their waist circumference (p<0.001). HbA1c decreased from 7.26+0.17% to 6.37+0.11% (p<0.001). Total cholesterol decreased by 12.2+1.8% (p<0.001), triglyceride by 21.8+3.8% (p<0.01) and LDL by 11.4+3.0 % (p<0.001). C-reactive protein (CRP) decreased from 6.0+0.85 to 4.2+0.65 mg/L (p<0.01). CRP reduction correlated with the percentage of weight and fat loss (p<0.05).

Participants were able to maintain the achieved weight loss for another six months after the program with the help of the support sessions.