Fernando Gómez Peralta

Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have analysed data from more than 37,000 patients with type 2 diabetes followed for several years. Although some clinical trials have shown that weight loss can be quite effective in controlling the disease, the study data indicate that in the long term and 'in the real world' this is only achieved in 6% of patients. The results are published in the journal Plos Medicine.

If effective strategies are not developed, more than 1.3 billion people will be living with diabetes by 2050, some 800 million more than today. This is according to the lead study in a set of papers published in The Lancet and The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. In addition, 75% of these people will live in low- and middle-income countries, which is largely due to "structural racism and inequality", according to the editorial accompanying the studies.