Messerli FH, Bell DS, Fonseca V, et al. Body weight changes with beta-blocker use: results from GEMINI. Am J Med. 2007; 120(7):610-615.
Overweight and obesity are common in patients with type 2 diabetes, and the conditions can contribute to poor cardiovascular outcomes. Beta-blockers may promote weight gain, or hamper weight loss and are a concern in high-risk patients. An analysis of the Glycemic Effect in Diabetes Mellitus: Carvedilol-Metoprolol Comparison in Hypertensives trial reviewed the changes in body weight from baseline to 5 months. On average, subjects given metoprolol gained 1.19 kg in the study time period. Those treated with carvedilol reported an insignificant average gain of 0.17 kg. Weight gain was most pronounced in subjects with hypertension and diabetes who were not taking insulin therapy.