Behavioral weight management programs (BWMPs) decrease cardiometabolic risk factors for at least 5 years
after cessation, although the benefits diminished in those who regained weight, according to results
published in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, DPhil, MA, and
colleagues examined 124 randomized trials on BWMPs among adults with overweight/obesity (median BMI,
33 kg/m2; median age, 51) that included cardiometabolic outcomes. In all, eight and 15 study arms (7,889
and 4,202 participants, respectively) assessed rates of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes,
respectively, with imprecise evidence of a lower incidence for at least 5 years. Weight regain in BWMP
participants relative to comparators decreased these differences. Total cholesterol/HDL ratio was 1.5
points lower at 1 and 5 years after the end of the BWMP, systolic BP was 1.5 mmHg lower at 1 year and 0.4
mmHg lower at 5 years, and A1C was lower at 1 and 5 years. “Despite weight regain, BWMPs reduce cardiometabolic
risk factors, with effects lasting at least 5 years after program end and dwindling with weight regain,”
Dr. Hartmann-Boyce and colleagues wrote.
