We met with Dr Amy E Rothberg (Associate Professor, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, US) at the ADA 2018 meeting to discuss the OPTIWIN study and OPTIFAST program. The OPTIWIN study was a randomized controlled trial which compared the effectiveness of a meal-replacement program to a traditional food-based diet, on long-term relative weight loss and weight maintenance. The results showed that participants in the OPTIFAST program lost twice the amount of weight than those doing food-based dieting. In patients with diabetes, there were greater improvements in glycated hemoglobin, reductions in fasting glucose, and even the resolution of type 2 diabetes mellitus in the OPTIFAST group. Dr Rothberg also discusses the challenges she faces when treating obese patients with diabetes or prediabetes, and explains that they are often discouraged by failed weight-loss programs, and consequently opt for easier pharmaceutical options.
Questions:
1. What was the background and rationale behind the OPTIWIN study? (0:13)
2. What were the key findings of the study presented at this meeting? (1:07)
3. What are the main challenges you face when treating obese patients with diabetes or prediabetes? (2:09)
Filmed at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Annual Meeting, June 2018
