Type II diabetic subjects lose less weight than their overweight nondiabetic spouses.

To determine whether diabetic individuals have more difficulty losing weight than nondiabetic individuals, 12 overweight diabetic subjects (6 men, 6 women) and their overweight nondiabetic spouses were treated together in a behavioral weight-control program. Diabetic and nondiabetic subjects did not differ in age, weight, or percent overweight. Weight losses of nondiabetic spouses were significantly greater than those of diabetic patients (13.4 +/- 1.7 vs. 7.5 +/- 1.4 kg; P less than .01). Differences emerged by wk 5 and became greater over the 20-wk program. Nondiabetic subjects reduced their intake significantly more than diabetics, suggesting that differences in dietary adherence were responsible for the differences in weight loss.