Background
Recent views have suggested that stress and sleep deprivation contribute to development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the effects of a personalized intervention on weight and glycemic control in Emirati patients with T2DM.
Methods
The present randomized controlled study was conducted in Rashid Centre for Diabetes and Research for duration of six months. 27 Emirati patients with T2DM (18–60 years, BMI ≥ 25kg/m2) were included in the study; intervention group, n = 14 and control group, n = 13. Heart rate variability was used for real-life and long-term assessments of stress, sleep and recovery. The intervention group attended information session followed by an initial assessment feedback sessions. Personalized action plans were created for each subject based on the outcomes of the initial assessment. Follow-up procedures and a second assessment were then conducted. Control group only attended the information session.
Results
The results have shown that percent change in body weight was significantly greater (p < 0.05) in the intervention group (- 3.18%) compared to the control group (- 0.02 %). The percent change in the BMI of the intervention group was (-5.4%) whereas the control group exhibited less change in BMI (0.39%) (p < 0.05). In addition, a significant reduction in HbA1C was observed in the intervention group (-5.3%) and an increase of 9.9% was observed in the control group (p < 0.01). Moreover, the intervention group was able to maintain moderate levels of recovery during sleep whereas the level of recovery during sleep was reduced in the control group.
Conclusion
The findings of the present study have shown that the personalized interventions that reduce the levels of stress, enhance recovery levels and maintain healthy sleep habits play a role in weight management and glycemic control in T2DM.