Effects on cardiovascular risk factors of weight losses limited to 5-10

Abstract

Little is known about the cardiovascular effects of modest weight loss. To determine whether weight losses limited to 5-10 % are sufficient to produce cardiovascular health benefits, data from 401 overweight and obese adults who enrolled in a behavioral weight loss program from 2003 to 2011 were analyzed. Primary outcomes were changes in fasting glucose, triglycerides, and cholesterol. Patients who lost 5-10 % showed significant reductions in triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Patients who lost >10 % experienced significantly greater improvements in triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol than patients losing less. For higher-risk patients, those who lost 5-10 % significantly reduced fasting glucose, triglycerides, and total cholesterol; those who lost >10 % improved on all risk factors (except HDL cholesterol) and to a significantly greater degree than those losing less. Five to 10 % weight losses produced improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, but greater weight losses were associated with even greater improvement.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; Obesity; Risk factors; Weight loss.

Fig. 1

Change in risk factors by weight loss group and gender. Asterisk indicates that after adjusting for baseline triglyceride value, baseline BMI, gender, and age, losing >10 % decreased triglycerides significantly more than losing 5–10 %, which in turn decreased triglycerides more than losing <5 % (p < .05). Dagger indicates that after adjusting for effects of baseline risk factor values, baseline BMI, gender, and age, losing >10 % decreased risk factor values significantly more than losing 5–10 and <5 %, with no other differences (p < .05)

Fig. 2

Change in risk factors by weight loss group and gender, among patients with elevated baseline risk factors. Asterisk indicates that after adjusting for effects of baseline risk factor values, baseline BMI, gender, and age, losing >10 % decreased risk factor values significantly more than losing 5–10 and <5 %, with no other differences (p < .05). Dagger indicates that after adjusting for effects of baseline HDL value, baseline BMI, gender, and age, there was a significant time by sex interaction (p < .05)