By exercising often and eating a healthy diet that helps you loose weight or maintain a healthy weight, many people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes can keep their blood sugar level nearly normal, a new study shows.

Researcher Gregory A. Nichols, PhD, an investigator for Kaiser Permanente’s Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore., and colleagues analyzed the weight gain and lost patterns of more than 2,500 patients newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.

Researchers looked at the patients’ weight over three years and analyzed blood sugar and blood pressure levels in the fourth year. 76 % of the participants stayed at about the same weight during the study, 12 % gained weight, while another 12% lost on average 23 pounds in the eight months after being diagnosed with diabetes. But in two or three years they regained that weight.

They found that newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics who lose weight in the 18 months after being diagnosed with the disease were up to twice as likely to maintain control of their blood pressure and blood sugar compared to those who didn’t lose weight. The findings suggest the benefit lasts even if they regain that weight.

“If you lose weight after diagnosis, you can achieve some long-term benefits in terms of blood pressure and glycemic control that extend even beyond the point at which you regain weight,” said Gregory A. Nichols, co-author of the study published online Aug. 12 in the journalDiabetes Care.

Diabetes and overweight often go together. More than 20 million Americans now have type 2 diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association.