You may have seen headline stories in the past few weeks about a very large study involving diabetics called the Look AHEAD study.

The study involved more than 5,000 overweight or obese subjects that had been diagnosed with diabetes.

The study was originally intended to be carried out over 13 years.

The intent of the study was purported to determine if weight loss accomplished by calorie restriction and exercise would result in fewer heart attacks and strokes for people with diabetes.

In September of 2012 it was halted prematurely.  The research was stopped early because the directors failed to see any positive changes in the number of cardiac and vascular complications among the diabetic participants.

So, once the study was reported to the press, the headlines all read something like this:  “Large study finds no benefit for diabetic resulting from weight loss.”

Even the Wall Street Journal headline read: “Disappointing Results for Weight Loss and Diabetics”.

The medical press was no better.  MedPage Today: “ADA: Lifestyle Changes Don’t Protect Heart”. (ADA is American Diabetes Association)

Even the headline from National Institutes for Health, which was involved with the study reads: “Weight loss does not lower heart disease risk from type 2 diabetes.”

The problem is that the headlines are misleading.  In fact, the entire outcome of the study is misleading.

The study was begun in 2001 and has cost more than 200 million dollars.  Hundreds of doctors and nurses and thousands of patients were involved.

Reportedly during the study, half the participants were placed in what is described as an “intensive weight loss” group while the other half were in the control group. 

For the first six months the intensive group received weekly counseling sessions with specific instructions to eat a restricted calorie diet and to exercise 175 minutes per week and eat 1200-1800 calories per day. 

The control group received counseling sessions three times per year and received more generalized counseling about nutrition and physical activity with no specific directions.  After the initial six months both groups received less frequent counseling sessions.

During the first year it is reported that the patients in the intensive group had lost an average of 8.6% body weight while the control group had lost only 0.7%.

However, at the five year mark, the intensive weight loss group had regained some of their lost weight. 

By year ten, when the study was halted, the average weight loss in the intensive group was only 6%.  However, by then the control group had also lost an average of 3.5%.

The participants ranged in age from 45-75 and had a median age of 58.  Their BMI averaged 36, which means someone 5’10” tall would weight about 250.

On average a person in the intense weight loss group that weighed 250 pounds at the beginning would have managed to lose only 15 pounds over a span of ten years. 

Here’s the point that seems to make the entire study somewhat absurd.  For a person to lose 15 pounds over a ten year span equals only 1.5 pounds lost per year.  That can hardly legitimately be called “intense weight loss”

A similar 250 pound person in the control group would have lost about 8 pounds.

Can you imagine a conversation between two of the particpants?

“Hey Bob how you doing?”

“I’m doing well.  I’ve been receiving generic nutrition and physical activity counseling from my doctor had have lost almost a pound this year.”

“Oh yeah? That’s great!  You know, I’ve been receiving counseling too.  My doctor tells me to exercise 175 minutes week and eat less than 1800 calories a day.  I’ve lost a pound and a half during the past year!”

There are so many profound problems with the study it would take another column to point them out. 

One certain thing that is illustrated is that the methods used in counseling are a terribly ineffective way to help people lose weight.  If the intense program only results in an average weight loss of 1.5 pounds per year, that’s a sign of a failed method of weight loss counseling

Although the headlines indicate that weight loss had no benefit on heart attack risk, in reality it should be obvious that the weight loss actually achieved is too little to have ever hoped to see a difference.

The headlines should read: “Enormous, expensive study demonstrates that medical weight loss counseling for patients is largely ineffective.”