ADA: VA's MOVE Helps Block Diabetes

CHICAGO -- A weight-loss program that can be implemented over a large healthcare system may help prevent development of type 2 diabetes, researchers reported here.

In an analysis of data from one such program in the Veterans Affairs health system, there was a significant reduction in incident diabetes over 3 years (RR 0.84, P<0.001), Sandra Jackson, MPH, of Emory University in Atlanta, reported at the American Diabetes Association meeting here.

"Veterans who lost more weight ended up having a lower incidence of diabetes over 3 years," Jackson told MedPage Today. "For each additional pound lost, we saw about 1% less risk of diabetes."

Jackson and colleagues evaluated MOVE data using the national VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure (VINCI) system. A total of 135,686 patients had data on 3-year follow up; their mean age was 57 and 88% were male.