Energy balance

In obese patients with type 2 diabetes, a 1-year lifestyle intervention (caloric restriction and exercise) significantly improves peripheral insulin sensitivity, fasting glucose, and free fatty acid levels, with these metabolic improvements being primarily determined by the magnitude of overall weight and fat mass loss rather than specific changes in regional fat distribution.

For people with Type 2 Diabetes, a one-year program combining a moderate calorie deficit (about 500 calories less per day) and regular exercise (over 175 minutes a week) significantly improves how the body handles sugar and fat. The key takeaway is that losing overall body weight is the most powerful way to improve metabolic health, more so than trying to target specific body areas for fat loss. Men tended to lose more weight and percentage of fat than women in this study, but both sexes saw significant benefits.