The association between patterns of weight change, diabetes status and glycaemia among adults with overweight and obesity

AIMS: To investigate the associations between weight change patterns and 5-year incident non-diabetic hyperglycaemia (NDH), and glycated haemoglobin (HbA_1c) levels among individuals who had overweight or obesity. METHODS: This longitudinal cohort study (N = 435) pooled data from a weight management trial. Participants were adults with a body mass index of ≥28 kg/m². They were categorised as "no weight loss", "maintainers", and "regainers" based on their weight at 3 months and 12 months after baseline. Multivariable logistic regression models and linear regressions were conducted to examine the associations. RESULTS: Between 1-year and 5-year follow-ups, 77 participants developed NDH. We found no statistically significant association between weight change patterns and incident NDH at 5 years. Among weight loss maintainers, mean HbA_1c was -0.15% (95% confidence intervals (CI): -0.22, -0.10) lower after 1 year and -0.15% (95% CI: -0.23, -0.06) lower after 5 years compared to the no weight loss group. There was no difference between weight loss regainers and no weight loss group in HbA_1c levels. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to those who did not lose weight, participants who maintained their weight loss had lower HbA_1c levels after 1 year and 5 years, which highlights the importance of providing long-term support to prevent weight regain.