Research
Energy balance
The magnitude of glycemic improvement (HbA1c reduction) per unit of weight loss is significantly greater in the short term (initial 12 weeks) than in the long term (1 year).
Expect your blood sugar to improve rapidly when you first start losing weight. As you stabilize, the rate of improvement may slow down, but maintaining your weight loss will still keep your blood sugar levels significantly better than if you had not lost the weight. Do not stop because the initial rapid gains have plateaued.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
the amount of improvement in the HbA1c level for a given weight loss, however, was greater immediately after treatment than at one-year follow-up.
Why this rating
Same study, specific regression analysis.
Source
Long-term Effects of Modest Weight Loss in Type II Diabetic Patients
Rena R. Wing · Archives of Internal Medicine · 1987
DOI 10.1001/archinte.1987.00370100063012
cohort · n=114Cited 472×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Energy balance
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