PRINCIPLES: The efficacy of low-calorie diets (LCDs) has not been investigated in large-scale studies or among people from different regions, who are perhaps unaccustomed to such methods of losing weight. The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in obesity measures among overweight/obese adults from eight European cities (from Northern, Central and Southern Europe) during the 8-week LCD phase of the DiOGenes study (2006-2007), a family-based, randomised, controlled dietary intervention. METHODS: 938 overweight/obese adults completed baseline examinations and underwent an 8-week LCD, providing 3.3-4.2 MJ/day to replace all meals. Anthropometric measurements and body composition were assessed at baseline and post-LCD. RESULTS: 773 (82.4%) adults (mean age, 43.1 y) completed the LCD successfully. The highest drop-out rate was observed in Southern (24.9%) and the lowest in Northern (13.3%) European cities. Overall, the LCD induced favourable changes in all outcomes, including an approximate 11.0% reduction in body weight and body fat percentage. Changes in outcomes differed significantly between regions, with North- and Central-European cities generally achieving higher percentage reductions in most anthropometric measurements assessed. Nonetheless, participants in Southern Europe reduced their body fat percentage significantly more than participants in Northern Europe (-11.8 vs. -9.5%, P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: The LCD significantly improved anthropometric and body composition measurements in all cities participating in DiOGenes.
PRINCIPLES: The efficacy of low-calorie diets (LCDs) has not been investigated in large-scale studies or among people from different regions, who are perhaps unaccustomed to such methods of losing weight. The aim of the present study was to investigate changes in obesity measures among overweight/obese adults from eight European cities (from Northern, Central and Southern Europe) during the 8-week LCD phase of the DiOGenes study (2006-2007), a family-based, randomised, controlled dietary intervention. METHODS: 938 overweight/obese adults completed baseline examinations and underwent an 8-week LCD, providing 3.3-4.2 MJ/day to replace all meals. Anthropometric measurements and body composition were assessed at baseline and post-LCD. RESULTS: 773 (82.4%) adults (mean age, 43.1 y) completed the LCD successfully. The highest drop-out rate was observed in Southern (24.9%) and the lowest in Northern (13.3%) European cities. Overall, the LCD induced favourable changes in all outcomes, including an approximate 11.0% reduction in body weight and body fat percentage. Changes in outcomes differed significantly between regions, with North- and Central-European cities generally achieving higher percentage reductions in most anthropometric measurements assessed. Nonetheless, participants in Southern Europe reduced their body fat percentage significantly more than participants in Northern Europe (-11.8 vs. -9.5%, P = 0.017). CONCLUSIONS: The LCD significantly improved anthropometric and body composition measurements in all cities participating in DiOGenes.
Authors: Pia Christensen; Thomas Meinert Larsen; Margriet Westerterp-Plantenga; Ian Macdonald; J Alfredo Martinez; Svetoslav Handjiev; Sally Poppitt; Sylvia Hansen; Christian Ritz; Arne Astrup; Laura Pastor-Sanz; Finn Sandø-Pedersen; Kirsi H Pietiläinen; Jouko Sundvall; Mathijs Drummen; Moira A Taylor; Santiago Navas-Carretero; Teodora Handjieva-Darlenska; Shannon Brodie; Marta P Silvestre; Maija Huttunen-Lenz; Jennie Brand-Miller; Mikael Fogelholm; Anne Raben Journal: Diabetes Obes Metab Date: 2018-08-07 Impact factor: 6.577