Making moderate improvements to diet and levels of physical activity, gave trial participants a better chance of losing enough weight to lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, said Prof Raj Bhopal, from the Unniversity's Centre for Population Health Sciences and lead author of the study.
The study, carried out in participants homes as opposed to hospital clinics, is the first of its kind in Britain to look specifically at South Asian cultures.
Participants were given detailed advice by dieticians and offered culturally-appropriate resources to help them manage their weight through diet and exercise. At the same time, control groups were given basic advice, which was not culturally specific.
Patients lost weight reduced their hip and waist measurements and there were indications that they were less likely to become diabetic by the end of the trial, which focused on people of Indian and Pakistani-origin.
More From This Section
National guidelines showed that South Asian people place strong emphasis on family life and eating together. From a young age, South Asians are sensitive or at risk of health problems linked to obesity.
Men from Pakistani and Indian communities are three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than the general population despite having similar Body Mass Indexes, said the researchers.
Prof Bhopal said: "These differing approaches show us that a more family centred strategy, with culturally tailored lifestyle advice can produce significant benefits to people s health through weight loss."