Research

Mixed

In overweight adults with type 2 diabetes (BMI 25-29 kg/m2), long-term intentional weight loss is associated with slightly better mean global cognitive function compared to a control group.

If you are overweight (not obese) and have type 2 diabetes, long-term weight loss might actually support your cognitive health better than staying at your current weight. This is in contrast to obese patients, where weight loss was linked to cognitive decline. Focus on sustainable lifestyle changes that improve your overall health, and discuss cognitive monitoring with your doctor.

GoodQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Among overweight participants, the mean composite score across repeated assessments was slightly higher among ILI compared with DSE participants: 0.099 (−0.060, 0.259).
Mark A. Espeland et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2017

Why this rating

RCT with long-term follow-up, but the confidence interval includes 0, making the result marginally significant.

Source

Long-term Impact of Weight Loss Intervention on Changes in Cognitive Function: Exploratory Analyses from the Action for Health in Diabetes Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Mark A. Espeland et al. · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · 2017

DOI 10.1093/gerona/glx165

rct · n=1091Cited 35×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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