New Weight Loss Program Helps Those With Highest Obesity Risk

A tailored obesity intervention program helped low-income Louisiana patients lost much more weight than counterparts receiving usual care, stated study published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

"It's hard to lose weight for //anyone. Adding any obstacle to treatment, especially poverty, makes that task much more difficult. We wanted to remove as many barriers as possible so we brought an effective program to people where they are, in the primary care clinics where they're comfortable, and it works," said Peter Katzmarzyk, Ph.D., Associate Executive Director of Population and Public Health Sciences at Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

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‘Low-income Louisiana patients who traditionally face the most barriers to weight loss and the highest levels of obesity, found success in a tailored obesity intervention program delivered directly through their primary care clinics.’

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Several studies conducted among obese people failed to achieve meaningful weight loss through lifestyle, diet, or exercise. But the results from the Promoting Successful Weight Loss in Primary Care in Louisiana (PROPEL) study had revealed the importance of making the obesity program as convenient for the patient as possible.

Eight hundred three patients from 18 primary care clinics in rural and urban parts of the state were enrolled in the PROPEL study for two years. The patients were divided into the following two groups:

1st Group: In the "intensive lifestyle intervention," 452 patients participated. For six months, they had weekly in-person or phone sessions with a health coach. The coaches helped people with their portion sizes and identified diet foods such as fruits, soups, and frozen entrees. The coaches also worked with patients on coping with mental stress and increasing their fitness levels through exercise regimen. The participants were given electronic scales to note their weight every day. For the remaining 18 months, the participants had monthly in-person or phone sessions.

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2nd Group: The other 351 patients were enrolled in "usual care". They were provided with routine primary care services, three newsletters per year with articles on healthy living such as the importance of exercise, tips for a sound sleep, household management and family coping skills during this pandemic, and how to quit smoking.

Study Results

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Out of the two groups, people enrolled in the lifestyle group lost 5 percent of their body weight, compared to 0.5 percent in the usual care group. The study finding has critical health implications in the global effort to slow the obesity pandemic.

"The significance of this study cannot be overstated. Obesity has been linked to at least 13 deadly cancers and lies at the root of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, and stroke. People with obesity who contract COVID-19 are at much greater risk for serious illness or death," Dr. Kirwan said. "A weight loss of 3 percent to 5 percent can generate significant health benefits." Tips for effective weight loss

- Exercising before breakfast is most effective for weight loss.

- Never skip any meal, particularly breakfast. Skipping meals backfires and leads to overeating. - Don't binge. Never stay hungry for more than 4-5 hours as this too can lead to binging.

- Drink plenty of water all through the day.

- Eat water - laden fruits such as water melons and oranges to keep you satiated.

- Make sure you sleep well.

Source-Medindia