'The Diabetes Educator' published study showing Medifast's effectiveness in patients with type 2 diabetes

OWINGS MILLS, Md., Feb. 11, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medifast, Inc. today announced that a study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, showing the Medifast Program outperforms the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended diet for patients with type 2 diabetes, has been published in the January/February issue of 'The Diabetes Educator'. The peer-reviewed journal is the official journal of the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

The examiner of the study from Johns Hopkins University submitted the study and informed Medifast that the study has been published in the most appropriate venue to help train diabetes educators about the effectiveness of Medifast Meal Replacements in the treatment of type 2 diabetes. The study was finalized for publication within the last 12 months after being presented to physicians and scholars attending the American Diabetes Association Convention in 2005.

"This study is one of many that validate the efficacy of Medifast Meal Replacements in the clinical setting," said Brad MacDonald, Chairman of the Board, Medifast, Inc. "Medifast continues to invest in the research and development of its products and programs to ensure that our claims to consumers are the most documented and credible in the industry."

In the study, the Medifast Program outperformed the ADA recommended diet in weight loss, adherence and biochemical outcomes. These findings suggest a re-evaluation of the ADA recommendation, which currently does not promote portion-controlled meal replacement programs in weight loss and weight maintenance for individuals with diabetes, is warranted.

The results of the study also suggest that meal replacements may achieve the same outcomes in diabetics as bariatric surgery (though over the longer term), while mitigating the increased risk of morbidity and mortality associated with these more dangerous treatment approaches.

"A close friend of mine had some serious complications because of type 2 diabetes and it scared me to death," said Medifast client Steven Eldridge, of Raytown, MO. "I was suffering from the disease myself and decided to consult my doctor. He said the best thing I could do is to lose the weight, and that's when I found Medifast. I lost 114 pounds in 5 months on the Medifast Program and am totally off my diabetes medication for the first time in 6 years, which is an absolute miracle, and I have Medifast to thank!"

The study compared Medifast's effectiveness for weight control in people with type 2 diabetes to the standard ADA recommended dietary guidelines. The study enlisted 112 overweight or obese people with type 2 diabetes using two weight loss approaches of equal caloric prescription - the Medifast Program and a traditional reduced-calorie diet based on the ADA recommended dietary guidelines.

According to the results, participants randomized to receive Medifast lost twice as much weight and were twice as compliant with the diet as participants following the standard ADA diet. Approximately 40 percent of the Medifast participants lost greater than 5 percent of their initial weight, compared with 12 percent of those on the standard ADA diet. Additionally, 24 percent of the Medifast users decreased or eliminated their diabetes medication, compared to 0 percent on the standard ADA diet.

"We know that people with type 2 diabetes have a harder time losing weight than people without diabetes; thus, finding an approach that works better than other approaches is important," says Lawrence Cheskin, M.D. F.A.C.P., director of the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center and principal investigator of the study. "This controlled study found that a diet using portion-controlled meal replacements yielded better weight control and compliance in obese people with diabetes than prescribing standard ADA dietary recommendations."

Medifast will continually participate in studies in the future, which will add even more credibility to the Medifast Brand and Programs. For more than 25 years Medifast has been prescribed by practitioners as a safe and effective program that yields significant results and has been proven to provide significant weight loss of 2-5 pounds per week.

"Over 15,000 physicians have recommended Medifast since 1980 and millions of consumers have realized the health and wellness benefit of our program," says Michael S. McDevitt, Chief Executive Officer, Medifast, Inc. "The publication of this study adds to Medifast's already stellar reputation in the medical community."