A 68-YEAR-OLD has lost weight, reversed her Tyne 2 diabetes and reduced her blood pressure medication after being recruited onto a study.

Kathleen Brough, of Prudhoe, was part of the DiRECT study at Newcastle University in 2016 after tests showing she had developed Type 2 diabetes. She was already on hypertension medication.

It comes as new research has shown that if people achieve and maintain substantial weight loss to manage their Type 2 diabetes, many can also effectively control their high blood pressure and stop or cut down on their anti-hypertensive medication.

A weight management programme, developed by researchers at the Universities of Glasgow and Newcastle for the Diabetes UK-funded DIabetes REmission Clinical Trial (DIRECT), has proved effective at lowering blood pressure and reducing the need for anti-hypertensive medications, as well as bringing remission of Type 2 diabetes.

Kathleen said: “Sticking to 800 calories a day was really tough for the first few days then I got into the routine of measuring everything out precisely.

“Cooking for my husband in the evening was the hardest part and often I’d have to take myself off – for a bath or something to distract myself.

“The nurses at my GP surgery were really supportive, talking me through everything as well as weighing me and taking my measurements. I lost over 2 stones in three months – at my lowest dropping to 9 stone 3lbs. My family were really encouraging, but the reaction of people who hadn’t seen me for a while was the funniest, as many would worry that something was wrong with me as they could see I had lost so much weight. I’d say to them that I felt better than I had done in a long time.

“I didn’t have to start medication for diabetes and I cut my hypertension medication. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done for my health and for my family.”