One-third of patients maintain 5 percent weight loss

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Tuesday, September 30, 2003 9:49 pm Email this article
One-third of patients put on a very-low-calorie diet followed by behavior modification maintained a weight loss of at least 5 percent for two years according to a study from Finland. Weight loss after two year was associated with improvements in psychological and physical health.

Patients who after two years had gained weight reported psychosocial and social problems.

Patients who after two years had maintained a weight loss of less than 10 percent reported improvements in psychosocial problems and physical functioning.

Patients who after two years had maintained a weight loss of 10 percent or more reported clear improvement in obesity-related psychosocial problems, physical functioning, physical role functioning, bodily pain, general health, mental health, and vitality.

The study had the patients on a very-low-calorie diet for two-and-one-half months (10 weeks) and four months of behavioral therapy.

The study included a total of 126 obese patient with an average body mass index (BMI) of 43 and an average age of 48.

REFERENCE

Kaukua J, Pekkarinen T, Sane T, Mustajoki P. Health-related quality of life in obese outpatients losing weight with very-low-energy diet and behaviour modification-a 2-y follow-up study. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2003 Oct, 27(10):1233-41.

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