The syndromic triad of COVID-19, type 2 diabetes, and malnutrition.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic challenges our collective understanding of transmission, prevention, complications, and clinical management of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Risk factors for severe infection, morbidity, and mortality are associated with age, environment, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, and interventional timing. Clinical investigations report an intriguing association of COVID-19 with diabetes mellitus and malnutrition but incompletely describe the triphasic relationship, its mechanistic pathways, and potential therapeutic approaches to address each malady and their underlying metabolic disorders. This narrative review highlights common chronic disease states that interact epidemiologically and mechanistically with the COVID-19 to create a syndromic phenotype-the COVID-Related Cardiometabolic Syndrome-linking cardiometabolic-based chronic disease drivers with pre-, acute, and chronic/post-COVID-19 disease stages. Since the association of nutritional disorders with COVID-19 and cardiometabolic risk factors is well established, a syndromic triad of COVID-19, type 2 diabetes, and malnutrition is hypothesized that can direct, inform, and optimize care. In this review, each of the three edges of this network is uniquely summarized, nutritional therapies discussed, and a structure for early preventive care proposed. Concerted efforts to identify malnutrition in patients with COVID-19 and elevated metabolic risks are needed and can be followed by improved dietary management while simultaneously addressing dysglycemia-based chronic disease and malnutrition-based chronic disease.

Hybrid model of intensive lifestyle intervention is potentially effective in patients with diabetes & obesity for post-COVID era.

The Weight Achievement and Intensive Treatment (Why WAIT) program is a 12-week multidisciplinary intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) for patients with diabetes and obesity in real-world clinical practice that has led to long-term weight loss maintenance for up to 10 years. During COVID-19, we reported that a virtual model (VM) of the program was equally effective in reducing body weight and improving glycemic control. Here, we test a newly-introduced hybrid model (HM), to accommodate ongoing restrictions of the pandemic. We evaluated 56 participants: 18 from HM, 16 from VM and 22 from the in-person model (iPM). At 12 weeks, mean change in body weight from baseline for HM was -8.2 ± 5.0 kg; p<0.001. Mean change in A1C for HM was -0.6 ± 0.6%; p=0.002. There were no significant differences in body weight reduction (p=0.7) or A1C reduction (p=0.6) between groups. Blood pressure, lipid profile, and all other parameters showed improvements without significant differences between groups. Overall, HM is as effective as VM and iPM in reducing body weight and A1C after 12 weeks. Given its scalability, HM could be offered to more patients with diabetes and obesity who may benefit from its increased flexibility and enhanced accountability without compromising the multidisciplinary approach for a post-COVID era.

In-person and virtual multidisciplinary intensive lifestyle interventions are equally effective in patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity.

Background: Intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) is essential for diabetes management. The Weight Achievement and Intensive Treatment (Why WAIT) program is a 12-week multidisciplinary weight management program that has been implemented in real-world clinical practice since 2005 and has shown long-term maintenance of weight reduction for 5 and 10 years. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program went virtual using telemedicine and mobile health applications. Aims: This retrospective pilot study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual model of an already established and successful in-person program for diabetes and weight management since 2005. Methods: We evaluated 38 patients with diabetes and obesity enrolled in the Why WAIT program between February 2019 and December 2020. Sixteen participants were enrolled in virtual program (VP) and were compared with 22 participants who completed the latest two physical programs (PPs) before COVID-19. We evaluated changes in body weight, A1C, blood pressure (BP), and lipid profile after 12 weeks of ILI. Results: Body weight decreased by -7.4 ± 3.6 kg from baseline in VP compared with -6.8 ± 3.5 kg in PP (p = 0.6 between groups). A1C decreased by -1.03% ± 1.1% from baseline in VP, and by -1.0% ± 1.2% in PP (p = 0.9 between groups). BP, lipid profile, and all other parameters improved in both groups with no significant difference between them. Conclusion: Virtual multidisciplinary ILI is as effective as the in-person intervention program in improving body weight, A1C, BP, and lipid profile, and in reducing the number of anti-hyperglycemic medications. Results from our study suggest that scaling the Why WAIT program in a virtual format to a larger population of patients with diabetes and obesity is feasible and is potentially as successful as the in-person program.

Virtual Multidisciplinary Lifestyle Intervention Is as Effective as the Physical Program for Patients with Diabetes and Obesity during COVID-19 Pandemic

Intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) is essential for diabetes management. The Weight Achievement and Intensive Treatment (Why WAIT) program is a 12-week multidisciplinary weight management program that has been implemented in real-world clinical practice and has shown long-term maintenance of weight reduction for 5 years. During COVID-19 pandemic, the program went virtual using telemedicine and mobile-applications (Healthimation and Good Measures™). We evaluated the outcomes of virtual program (VP) in comparison to in-person physical program (PP). Sixteen subjects were enrolled in VP and were compared to 22 subjects who completed the last 2 PPs. Body weight decreased by -16.49±8 lbs. (-7 % ± 0.3%) from baseline in VP (p<0.001) compared to -15.2± 7.8 lbs. (-6 % ± 0.3%) in PP (p<0.001) (p= 0.6 between groups). A1C decreased by -1.03% ± 1.2% from baseline in VP (p=0.002), and by -1.0% ± 1.2% in PP (p=0.001) (p=0.9 between groups). At the end of the intervention, CGM analysis showed TIR (70-180 mg/dL) was 87%±14% in VP and 72%±23% in PP (p=0.6 between them). BP and lipid profile improved in both groups with no significant difference between them. The number of anti-hyperglycemic medications reduced by -0.9± 0.6 in VP and by -0.8± 0.8 in PP (p=0.5 between them). Among insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes, 5 patients (50%) in VP and 5 patients (33.3%) in PP stopped insulin at 12 wks (p=0.4 between them). Patients in VP reported reduced barriers to exercise from a score of 17.2±12.2 to 4.6±3.9 (p<0.001). In conclusion, virtual multidisciplinary ILI is as effective as the in-person physical program in improving body weight, A1C, BP, lipid profile and in reducing the number of anti-hyperglycemic medications. These results suggest that scaling the Why WAIT program in a virtual format to a larger population of patients with diabetes and obesity is potentially as successful as the costly in-person program.