Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jun 10;21(1):32.
doi: 10.1186/s12986-024-00799-8.

A low-calorie meal replacement improves body composition and metabolic parameters in shift workers with overweight and obesity: a randomized, controlled, parallel group trial

Piumika Sooriyaarachchi  1   2 , Ranil Jayawardena  3   4   5 , Toby Pavey  3 , Neil A King  3
Affiliations

A low-calorie meal replacement improves body composition and metabolic parameters in shift workers with overweight and obesity: a randomized, controlled, parallel group trial

Piumika Sooriyaarachchi et al. Nutr Metab (Lond). .

Abstract

Background: Shift work has been identified as a risk factor for several chronic health conditions including obesity. This study evaluated the impact of a low-calorie meal replacement (MR) as a dinner substitute on body composition and metabolic parameters in shift workers with overweight and obesity.

Methods: An 8-week parallel, randomized controlled trial was conducted on overweight and obese shift workers in a large hospital. An intervention group (IG) (n = 25) was provided with a low-calorie MR shake (∼200 kcal) as a replacement for dinner, every day for 8 weeks, while the control group (CG) (n = 25) continued their habitual diet. Anthropometric measurements, body composition, biochemical, and lifestyle data were assessed at the first and last visits. Analyses were done per protocol (PP) and by intention to treat (ITT).

Results: Over the study duration, both groups displayed moderate changes in anthropometric measurements and body composition, although these were not statistically significant according to the PP analysis. In the ITT analysis, apart from the hip circumference (HC), all other anthropometric parameters demonstrated significant group and time interactions, suggesting the advantageous effects of the meal replacement over the study period (P < 0.05). HDL and VLDL cholesterol measures showed significant main effects, influenced by both group (P = 0.031) and time (P = 0.050) respectively. The most pronounced dietary shift in the IG was a reduction in carbohydrate consumption and an increase in protein intake. Throughout the study, the meal replacement was well-tolerated, with no adverse events reported.

Conclusions: The meal replacement dietary intervention appears to offer beneficial health effects over time. Extended research is crucial to understand the broader implications of meal replacements across diverse populations.

Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR): ACTRN12622000231741. Registered on 09 February 2022. https://www.anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12622000231741.aspx .

Keywords: Body composition; Meal replacement; Obesity; Shift work; Weight loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Flow diagram for study selection
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Wang X, Armstrong M, Cairns B, Key T, Travis R. Shift work and chronic disease: the epidemiological evidence. Occup Med. 2011;61(2):78–89. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqr001. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Knutsson A. Health disorders of shift workers. Occup Med. 2003;53(2):103–8. doi: 10.1093/occmed/kqg048. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ekmekcioglu C, Touitou Y. Chronobiological aspects of food intake and metabolism and their relevance on energy balance and weight regulation. Obes Rev. 2011;12(1):14–25. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00716.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Zhang Q, Chair SY, Lo SHS, Chau JP-C, Schwade M, Zhao X. Association between shift work and obesity among nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Nurs Stud. 2020;112:103757. doi: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103757. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Loos RJF, Yeo GSH. The genetics of obesity: from discovery to biology. Nat Rev Genet. 2022;23(2):120–33. doi: 10.1038/s41576-021-00414-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources