Cardiovascular Effects of Intensive Lifestyle Intervention in Type 2 Diabetes

Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) was a randomized controlled trial that examined the impact of long-term participation in an intensive weight loss intervention on cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality in people with type 2 diabetes (T2D). The results from this trial suggest that intensive lifestyle interventions are effective in helping patients to achieve management of cardiovascular risk factors and reducing the need to initiate medication usage to manage these conditions, though the benefits in terms of the prevention of CVD morbidity and mortality beyond those achieved through aggressive medical management of hypertension and dyslipidemia is not clear. Additional benefits of participation in an intensive lifestyle intervention such as lowered chronic kidney disease risk, blood pressure, medication usage, improved sleep apnea, and partial remission of diabetes are discussed.