No fewer heart attacks or strokes in one large trial
- Published in
- N Engl J Med 2013
- People studied
- 5,145
In a US trial of 5,145 adults with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity, a lifestyle programme led to more weight loss. It did not lower the rate of heart attacks, strokes and heart deaths over about 10 years.
- Checked against
- PubMed 23796131
- Published in
- N Engl J Med 2013
- Last checked
- 30 October 2026
Key takeaway
Look AHEAD randomly assigned 5,145 US adults with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity to an intensive programme of eating less and moving more, or to diabetes support and education. The trial was stopped early, at a median of 9.6 years, because a difference had become unlikely. 403 people in the programme and 418 in the comparison group had a heart death, heart attack, stroke or hospital stay for chest pain. This is a clear finding of no difference in heart events.
At a glance
- Type of study
- randomised trial (Look AHEAD)
- People studied
- 5,145
- How long
- about 10 years (median 9.6, stopped early)
- Compared with
- diabetes support and education
- Main result
- No fewer heart attacks, strokes or heart deaths than the comparison group.
- Strength of evidence
- Randomised trials
What this study does not show
What it did show: the programme group lost more weight (8.6% against 0.7% after a year, 6.0% against 3.5% at the end) and had lower blood sugar, better early fitness and better heart risk factors except LDL ('bad') cholesterol. Everyone had type 2 diabetes, and the comparison group also lost some weight by the end.
Results from studies in groups of people, mostly in diet and movement programmes. They cannot be promised to any one person. This information is educational and does not replace a consultation with a doctor.
More on heart
- Lower blood pressureRandomised trials · Neter et al., Hypertension 2003
- Better heart risk factorsLong-term or observational studies · Wing et al., Diabetes Care 2011
- Lower risk of high blood pressureRandomised trials · Stevens et al., Ann Intern Med 2001
- Lower risk of serious heart eventsLong-term or observational studies · Gregg et al., Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2016
- Fewer irregular heartbeat episodesRandomised trials · Abed et al., JAMA 2013
- Better heart risk markers from age 55Randomised trials · Salas-Salvadó et al., Diabetes Care 2019
- No fewer heart attacks or strokes in one large trialRandomised trials · Look AHEAD Research Group, N Engl J Med 2013
- Lasting heart risk gains, even with regainRandomised trials · Hartmann-Boyce et al., Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes 2023
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