DURHAM, N.C. & EMERYVILLE, Calif.--()--Structure House, an internationally recognized residential weight loss center, today presented data from a research study of obese individuals in a residential weight loss program showing a correlation among degree of weight loss, reduced cardiometabolic risk factors including cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure, and lowered PreDx® Diabetes Risk Score (DRS). The data also showed that greater weight loss was associated with greater reduction in participants’ diabetes risk score or DRS. PreDx DRS is a multi-marker fasting blood test that assesses markers of inflammation, fat cell function, and glucose metabolism, and categorizes individuals as low, moderate, or high risk for diabetes conversion within 5 years. Developed by Tethys, the PreDx DRS has been shown to be significantly more accurate than HbA1c or fasting glucose in predicting incident diabetes. The data presented today by Structure House represent the first study to demonstrate that obese individuals can lower their PreDx DRS through acute lifestyle changes. This study also suggests that PreDx DRS may be used to provide specific and individualized information to patients about changes in risk resulting from health behavior changes, and such information may provide added motivation to patients to adopt behaviors that can reduce their disease risk.
“Changes and Correlations with PreDx® Diabetes Risk Score Following Brief Residential Behavioral Weight Loss”
“We believe that these study results show that PreDx DRS could be a valuable component of an effective diabetes prevention program, and that an individual’s PreDx DRS can be lowered quickly following weight loss and reduction of other cardiovascular risk factors. Other studies have shown that the drop in DRS is associated with a significant decrease in long-term risk of diabetes,” said Mickey S. Urdea, PhD, Tethys Chief Scientific Officer. “Further, the results show that the greater the weight loss, the greater the reduction in an individual’s DRS, suggesting that the DRS can be an effective informational tool in motivating overweight individuals to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.”
The data were presented in a poster titled, “Changes and Correlations with PreDx® Diabetes Risk Score Following Brief Residential Behavioral Weight Loss,” by Jennifer Pells, PhD, Program Facilitator, Structure House, at the American Diabetes Association 71st Scientific Sessions, being held in San Diego.
The study investigated changes in the PreDx DRS following a 4-week residential behavioral weight loss program to determine whether this test is sensitive to this type of intervention. The study also sought to better understand associations between PreDx DRS scores and other cardiovascular risk factors (e.g., cholesterol, BMI). Participants were 51 non-diabetic males and females over age 30 (mean age = 55 years; mean BMI = 42.6) who completed the 4-week program and consented into the study.
“Structure House is committed to supporting research and embracing new technologies with the potential to improve people’s lives,” said Anna Stout, lead researcher and clinical psychologist for Structure House. “We regularly see significant health improvements in participants who complete our four-week diabetes program, and we are excited that this partnership with Tethys validates the effectiveness of simple lifestyle changes in decreasing the PreDx DRS associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes several years later.”
For those already diagnosed with diabetes, Structure House offers a specialized four-week diabetes program focusing on lifestyle change. In addition to changing diet and exercise while enrolled in the program, participants attend specialized educational classes related to the role of nutrition and exercise in diabetes and a series of group sessions focusing on health issues associated with diabetes and on learning strategies to reduce the negative impact of stress on glucose control and to improve diabetes self-management. Participants also have a weekly appointment with an endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes management. This is the only program of its kind offered in the United States.
A copy of the poster presented today is available from Structure House upon request to pparker@fwv-us.com.
Additional Data on PreDx DRS to be Presented
Tomorrow, June 26th, data from analyses from the European Diabetes Prevention Study (EDIPS) (Session P013 - #1331) will be presented by Professor Jaakko Tuomilehto, MD, PhD, of the University of Helsinki, showing that a decrease in PreDx DRS is associated with a decreased risk of developing diabetes, and that the PreDx DRS could be a useful tool for monitoring patients’ progression toward type 2 diabetes.
About Structure House
Structure House®, an internationally recognized residential weight management treatment facility in Durham, N.C., offers a unique, behavioral approach to weight loss and healthy lifestyle change. The program, recognized by Health magazine as “America’s Healthiest Diet,” integrates principles of nutrition and exercise with psychology in a treatment approach designed to transform the eating habits and lifestyles of overweight individuals. Structure House also offers a specialized Diabetes Program, pre- and post- bariatric surgery support, treatment for binge eating and emotional overeating, and an online program for weight loss.
Since 1977, Structure House has helped more than 30,000 people from all 50 states and 35 nations battling obesity. The name Structure House underscores the critical role structure plays in achieving long-term weight loss. Structure House is a proud member of CRC Health Group, the nation’s leading provider of behavioral health and addiction treatment services.
Gerard J. Musante, Ph.D., one of the nation’s leading experts on obesity and weight loss, is the founder of Structure House. A renowned clinical psychologist, Dr. Musante was the first person to adapt the principles of behavior modification to the eating habits of significantly overweight people and food abusers. Dr. Musante is the author of The Structure House Weight Loss Plan. For more information, visit www.structurehouse.com.
About PreDx DRS
The PreDx Diabetes Risk Score (DRS) provides enhanced risk stratification through the measurement of multiple biomarkers linked to pathways of diabetes progression. PreDx DRS was developed using a unique approach to quantifying biomarkers suspected of playing roles in diabetes development. Tethys methodology enabled evaluation of many biomarkers utilizing very small amounts of blood from select and well-characterized large study cohorts with known diabetes outcomes. The company then determined the combination of these biomarkers with an algorithm that best identified an individual’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes within five years. PreDx DRS has been validated by the Tethys Clinical Laboratory (TCL) in several large populations. The test uses standard immunoassay and clinical chemistry formats, sample collection and shipment methods. Currently performed exclusively by the CLIA-certified TCL, the test generates a Diabetes Risk Score between 1 and 10 that corresponds to an absolute percentage risk of developing disease within five years. For more information about PreDx DRS, please visit www.predxdiabetes.com.
About Tethys
Tethys is a cardiometabolic diagnostics company that creates and commercializes breakthrough biomarker-based blood tests that predict imminent disease risk and enable targeted intervention to preempt the onset of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Tethys introduced its first product -- PreDx® Diabetes Risk Score -- to the market in 2008, and initiated sales in 2009. The Tethys PreDx platform includes products in development to determine risk for first-time heart attack, osteoporotic fracture and other cardiometabolic diseases with the goal of improving health outcomes and reducing the devastating economic impact that debilitating, preventable diseases have on individuals and society. For more information about Tethys and PreDx DRS, please visit www.tethysbio.com.
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