Look AHEAD Aging Extension for older adults with type 2 diabetes
Official title: Look AHEAD Aging Extension
Funded at Wake Forest University Health Sciences · NIH-11446617 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A study of people with type 2 diabetes and overweight or obesity to find ways to promote healthier aging and better quality of life in later years.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Wake Forest University Health Sciences NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Winston-Salem, United States) |
| Project start | September 15, 2026 |
| Project end | May 31, 2031 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $958,745 |
| NIH project number | 1R01AG097598-01A1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11446617 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Older adults (mid- to late-life) with type 2 diabetes who are overweight or have obesity and have prior Look AHEAD study involvement or data linkage opportunities.
✕Less likely to help
Patients not fitting the age range, without type 2 diabetes or with normal weight, or who are not linked to Look AHEAD data.
What this research studies
This project will look at long-term data from the Look AHEAD group to identify lifestyle, physical health, mental health, and clinical care factors that help people with type 2 diabetes age more healthily. Researchers will analyze how modifiable behaviors and care strategies relate to fewer chronic diseases, lower healthcare use and costs, and preserved function and well-being in mid- to late life. The goal is to uncover actionable factors that could guide personalized care plans for aging patients with diabetes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, findings could inform personalized lifestyle and care interventions to improve healthspan and quality of life for older adults with type 2 diabetes.
How similar studies have gone: The Look AHEAD cohort has long-term data; the study builds on established relationships to aging outcomes in diabetes.
Where this research is happening
-
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Winston-Salem, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Houston, Denise Kathryn — Wake Forest University Health Sciences
- Study coordinator: Houston, Denise Kathryn
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Aging Well with HIV: Alcohol, Risk Reduction, and Education Center (AWAR3E)
A center at Yale is exploring how aging with HIV interacts with alcohol use to create inflammation and frailty, with the goal of finding biomarkers and potential treatments.
-
Cognitive SuperAging: Exploring why some octogenarians stay sharp in memory
This NIH grant studies why a small group of people aged 80+ keep memory skills as good as much younger people, hoping to understand how to protect memory as we age.
-
Biological aging across the lifespan through a national high school-to-adult study
This grant uses a long-running national study of students and adults to collect saliva biomarkers of aging, alongside surveys, to understand how aging markers relate to health and life experiences.
-
Understanding how aging and Alzheimer’s affect how people make tough choices
This NIH grant studies how aging and Alzheimer’s risk change how people decide between immediate and delayed rewards and risky options, with the goal of helping older adults stay financially and healthwise safer.
-
Understanding how brain resilience and multiple brain pathologies influence aging and Alzheimer's disease
A long-term study follows older adults to learn how resilience to brain changes helps reduce dementia risk and what biological factors are linked to better cognitive aging.
-
National Neighborhood Data Archive helps researchers study aging health in U.S. neighborhoods
A nationwide data resource will help researchers understand how where people live affects health and aging, with a focus on respiratory illnesses in older adults.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.