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By Marion Davis
Contributing Writer

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. – Forty-two Fitness Together franchises in Rhode Island and Massachusetts are conducting a study to gauge the impact of a 26-week individualized fitness training program on the blood sugar levels of people with type 2 diabetes.

The studios are enlisting a minimum of 50 subjects – men and women over 30 with a diabetes type 2 diagnosis who are at least 30 pounds overweight. They will get regular blood glucose tests and be monitored by a certified diabetes educator as well as personal trainers.

The franchise group will share the results with the American Diabetes Association of Eastern New England, whose Step Out: Walk to Fight Diabetes, it also sponsors.

“Diabetes is a major health issue affecting more than 24 million Americans, and our franchisees have told us they are happy to have a chance to make a difference,” said Jeff Jervik, president and CEO of Fitness Together Holdings Inc.

From July through December, the study will track participants’ weight loss, administer hemoglobin A1c tests – which measure average blood glucose and identify people at risk of complications – and track their blood pressure, medication use and sense of well-being.

To participate, a person must be cleared by a doctor to exercise and agree to six months of observation resistance training three times a week with a personal trainer; cardiovascular exercise a minimum of three times a week; an initial fitness evaluation followed by fitness re-tests every six weeks; documenting of all meals in a nutrition journal; and blood checks.

The studio owners have also pledged to raise a minimum of $40,000 for the ADA Eastern New England Chapter; donations can be made at the studios or on the group’s website, www.FTGetsResults.com, by clicking on the “Cardio for a Cure” link. Nonmembers who wish to participate in the study can also find a nearby Fitness Together facility on the site.

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