Lifestyle Intervention for Senior Diabetics (LISD) (H-34800)

Dr. Dennis Villareal, staff endocrinologist, and his research associates at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center are recruiting for a research study funded by the American Diabetic Association. The purpose of this research study is to determine the effects of lifestyle therapy (weight loss achieved through low-calorie diet and physical exercise) on diabetes control, risk factors for heart disease, physical function, memory and thinking, and satisfaction in life in the specific population of elderly adults with diabetes.

The study targets 65 to 85 year old adults with type 2 diabetes who are at least 20 pounds overweight (BMI ≥ 27). It is a randomized controlled trial; therefore the patients will be randomized to either one of two groups. The first group is a lifestyle intervention group, which involves behavioral diet therapy and supervised exercised classes (to induce clinically significant weight loss), and the second group is a healthy lifestyle group (control), which meets once per month to discuss general healthy lifestyle behaviors. The total length of the study is 12-14 months.