Diabetes Weight Loss Program
Effective treatment of Type II diabetes requires a multi-disciplinary approach and collaboration among a team of professionals. Participants in the Structure House Diabetes Program receive state-of-the-art treatment and education regarding diet, exercise and medication for diabetes management. In addition, participants will learn about recent research evidence on the impact of stress and emotion on diabetes and about strategies to manage these factors to improve diabetic control.
Participants will have weekly appointments at Structure House with a board-certified Endocrinologist.
The curriculum also includes:
- Nutritional counseling with a Certified Diabetes Educator
- Weekly diabetes wellness classes with a Certified Diabetes Educator
- Exercise counseling related to diabetes (and fitness evaluation)
- Weekly group sessions with a health psychologist focusing on learning strategies to reduce the negative impact of stress and improve diabetes self-management
Diabetes Program Results
Knowing the importance of proper diabetes management, we’ve conducted research into the effectiveness of our Diabetes Program. Our research indicated rapid health improvement in diabetic patients in our 4-week program.
Here are the details:
Seventy individuals (49 females, 21 males) have completed four weeks on the specialized diabetes program at Structure House and provided data at baseline and 4-weeks post-treatment. An addition to the core weight loss program, the Diabetes Track includes specialized classes related to diabetes and nutrition, exercise and diabetes, mind-body classes focusing on the impact of stress on diabetes, weekly educational sessions with a nurse addressing health issues associated with diabetes and a weekly appointment with an endocrinologist specializing in diabetes management. In addition to the consulting endocrinologist, Structure House has two certified diabetes educator (CDE) nurses, a certified diabetes educator (CDE) dietician and a master’s degree level health educator with specialization in diabetes as a member of the exercise.
At the end of the four week treatment program, the following changes are noted in these 70 patients:
| Medical Parameter | Entry Mean (SD) | Exit Mean (SD) | Average % Reduction |
| Weight | 281.4 (67.0) | 265.8 (62.8) | 5.5% |
| Body Mass Index | 44.7 (9.1) | 42.2 (8.4) | 5.5% |
| Waist Circumference | 50.6 (7.8) | 46.9 (9.5) | 7.2% |
| Fasting Blood Glucose | 146.6 (53.7) | 121.0 (26.9) | 11.4% |
| Hemoglobin Alc | 7.5 (1.5) | 6.9 (1.1) | 7.1% |
| Triglycerides | 220.5 (150.2) | 156.4 (75.4) | 29% |
| Total Cholesterol | 186.2 (41.3) | 142.2 (27.2) | 23.6% |
| LDL Cholesterol | 99.0 (37.1) | 68.4 (24.2) | 30.9% |
The improvements achieved across these health indices were both statistically significant and clinically relevant. Of particular interest was the significant reduction in Hemoglobin A1c from 7.5 to 6.9 in 4 weeks. Historically, it has been thought that A1c levels were unlikely to show meaningful improvement within such a brief time period.
Remarkably, these improvements in markers of diabetic control were occurring with accompanying reductions in the number and dosages of diabetic medications. On average, patients in the diabetic program at Structure House were able to reduce their dosages in diabetic medications by 42% over the four week period of time in the lifestyle-based weight loss program. Within the group of 70 patients, 28 (41%) were able to eliminate at least one diabetic medication and 18 additional patients (26%) were able to decrease the dose of at least one medication by at least 50%. Overall, two-thirds (66%) of these 70 patients were able to discontinue or significantly reduce their dosage of at least one diabetic medication over a 4-week period. Eight percent (8%) of those who entered the program on diabetic medications had discontinued all diabetic medications at the end of the four weeks. The number of patients taking 3 or more diabetic medications at program entry decreased from 27 to 15 at exit.
Regarding specific classes of diabetic medications, 21 out of 70 were taking insulin at entry. At 4-week exit, 19% of those patients were able to discontinue taking insulin, and an additional 48% were able to reduce their insulin dosages by at least 50% while maintaining satisfactory glucose control. About half of the sample (49%) was taking at least one sulfonylurea at the start of treatment. At 4-weeks, 44% of those taking a sulfonylurea were able to discontinue this medication, and an additional 18% reduced their dosage by at least 1/3 (average reduction = 47%). A majority of the sample (71%) was taking Metformin at the start of treatment. Of these patients, 12% were able to discontinue using any Metformin, and another 8% reduced their dosage by at least 50%. Finally, of the 26 patients taking a thiazolidinedione at entry, 6 (23%) were able to discontinue this drug, and 12% reduced their dosage by 50%.
