This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Cardiovascular structure, function improved with moderate diet-induced weight loss
Diet-induced weight loss was associated with improved CV structure and function, even after some of the weight was regained, results from a new study suggested.
Researchers evaluated 60 patients with a BMI of 37 kg/m2 participating in a weight-loss study, 47 of whom completed the two-year follow up. Researchers randomly assigned patients to either low-carbohydrate or low-fat diets for two years. They evaluated patients with cardiac and vascular ultrasound at baseline, three, six, 12 and 24 months following dietary intervention.
According to the results, average weight loss in the population was 7.3% at three months, 9.2% at six months, 7.8% at one year and 3.8% at two-year follow-up. Following adjustment for age and sex, mixed linear models suggested that follow-up time was associated with decreases in weight (P<.0001), left ventricular mass (P=.001) and carotid intima-media thickness (P<.0001). The researchers also reported improvement in LV diastolic (P<.0001) and systolic function (P=.001).
“Although partial weight regain diminished the maximal observed beneficial effects of weight loss, CV parameters measured at two years still showed a net benefit compared with baseline,” the researchers concluded. “Whether the salutary effects of weight loss on CV structure-function observed in this study translate into improved clinical outcomes requires further investigation.”
de las Fuentes L. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;54:2376-2381.