The association between patterns of weight change, diabetes status and glycaemia among adults with overweight and obesity

Abstract

Aims: To investigate the associations between weight change patterns and 5-year incident non-diabetic hyperglycaemia (NDH), and glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels among individuals who had overweight or obesity. Methods: This longitudinal cohort study (N = 435) pooled data from a weight management trial. Participants were adults with a body mass index of ≥28 kg/m2 . They were categorised as “no weight loss”, “maintainers”, and “regainers” based on their weight at 3 months and 12 months after baseline. Multivariable logistic regression models and linear regressions were conducted to examine the associations. Results: Between 1-year and 5-year follow-ups, 77 participants developed NDH. We found no statistically significant association between weight change patterns and incident NDH at 5 years. Among weight loss maintainers, mean HbA1c was − 0.15% (95% confidence intervals (CI): − 0.22, − 0.10) lower after 1 year and − 0.15% (95% CI: − 0.23, − 0.06) lower after 5 years compared to the no weight loss group. There was no difference between weight loss regainers and no weight loss group in HbA1c levels. Conclusions: Compared to those who did not lose weight, participants who maintained their weight loss had lower HbA1c levels after 1 year and 5 years, which highlights the importance of providing long-term support to prevent weight regain.