The goal to reduce the Look-AHEAD study is to overweight in participants with type 2 diabetes and to investigate the long-term effects of weight loss. The program provides is not so much a diet as a specific lifestyle changes. Unlike a diet, so a short-term change in dietary habits in order to weight loss, study participants should be permanently living with less fat and more vitamins. The long-term study is designed for a period of 13 half years. After the first four years, she already came to a surprising conclusion: It’s more able older people over 65 than younger participants to successfully migrate their lifestyle.

The program of the Look-AHEAD study
On the Look-AHEAD study attended more than 5,100 men and women. All participants had type 2 diabetes and mild to extreme obesity. The study’s report, would have a weight reduction of the impact on the overall health of the study participants. The main objective of the study was that initial body weight of participants to reduce the long term by 7%. In addition, the participants should continue to operate at least 175 minutes, ie approximately 3 hours per week sports. On average, the participants were 59 years old at the start of the study and had a starting weight of 100 kg. They were divided into two groups at the beginning. The members of the so-called intervention group received regular individual or group discussions on topics such as nutrition, sports and everyday life. The control group received only 3 to 5 per year of such meetings. They were often sent written recommendations on diet and exercise.

Implementation of the Look-AHEAD study
In the course of the study showed that participants who had often attended the group meetings and inspections, were more successful with weight loss. An additional motivation presented so-called Formula dar. These diets are prepared drink or powder that is mixed with water will have. These contain, besides carbohydrates, fats, proteins and trace elements, maximum 1200 calories per day. This product will be replaced at the beginning of a diet some or all meals. As a result, users relatively quickly lose a few pounds of body weight. That is just the beginning to provide the necessary motivation. Permanently Formula diets are not suitable. Gradually, they are replaced by low-calorie diet in full-fledged meals. Study participants had to learn that snacks like candy bars or other snacks leads to a poorly controllable eating. The strict diet plans at the beginning were gradually replaced by more flexible eating patterns. The regular group meetings motivated the study participants will also each other.

Results of the study
Already after one year in the intervention group had good results are recorded: the participants had lost an average of 8.6% of their initial weight. Their physical fitness had increased by around 21%. In addition, the blood-term value could be reduced on average by 0.6%. This decreased the blood pressure and cholesterol levels. In the control group, the results were less good, however: Only 0.7% of the participants had lost weight on average. After 4 years of study were from the intervention group, however, many participants are not able to maintain their good early results: On average, there were only 5% of baseline body weight at baseline, had lost her. The fitness of participants was only 5.4%. Accordingly, the blood pressure and cholesterol levels began to rise again to such an extent that between the intervention and the control group, there was no significant difference. Whether and to what extent the study is successful remains to be seen in the next 10 years. The control points for success are the incidences of heart attacks, strokes and mortality in both groups. Only if the events in the intervention group by study end significantly lower than in the control one can speak of the success of the program.