Some Commercial Diets Succeed At Improving Blood Sugar Control

Several commercial weight loss programs seem to improve control of blood sugar in diabetics, but more rigorous research is needed to actually prove the benefit, a new U.S. study has found. The researchers looked at published clinical studies that carefully evaluated the effects of various commercial weight loss programs on blood sugar in overweight and obese individuals. Eighteen studies focused on people with type 2 diabetes. Among the 764 individuals who participated in ten weight loss programs, the Jenny Craig program reduced blood sugar concentrations significantly more than weight loss counseling alone at 12 months. Nutrisystem and Optifast reduced blood sugar more than counseling alone at six months.