Changes in body composition, physical performance and cardiovascular risk factors after a 3-week integrated body weight reduction program and after 1-y follow-up in severely obese men and women

Objective: To investigate the short- and medium-term (ie, at 1-y follow-up) effects of a hospital-based body weight reduction (BWR) program lasting 3 weeks in severely obese individuals. Design: Longitudinal, clinical intervention study entailing energy-restricted diet, tailored aerobic-strength exercise, psychological counselling and nutritional education during a 3-week period followed by 49 weeks of indirect supervision at home. Subjects: In all, 45 women and 19 men aged 30.2 ± 7.2 y (mean ± s.d.) with severe obesity (BMI: 41.3 ± 43 kg/m²), classified as weight losers (final <initial weight) and regainers; (final ≥ initial weight). Interventions: Body composition, physical performance and cardiovascular risk factors before and after the BWR program and at follow-up. Results: The large majority of the experimental subjects obtained a clinical success after the 1-y period, and the rate was higher in females (n = 37/45, ie, 82.2%) than in males (n = 11/19, ie, 57.9%). At follow-up, weight losers had higher percent fat-free mass, muscle strength, HDL-cholesterol and self-reported physical activity level and lower total cholesterol and glucose levels than weight regainers; (P <0.05-0.01). Males displayed significantly larger fat-free mass losses than females at post-BWR and at follow-up. Conclusions: A 3-week hospital-based integrated BWR program resulted in a high rate of clinical success in severely obese individuals at 1-y follow-up (particularly in females), that was associated with increased levels of self-reported physical activity and improved muscle strength and lipid profile. Further research is needed to establish the long-term effects (ie, at 2-5y) associated to this treatment.