title: Impact of weight loss on the metabolic syndrome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Individuals with the metabolic syndrome (MS), a clustering of risk factors [triglycerides, glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, blood pressure (BP), abdominal obesity] defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), are at high risk for coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus, and may benefit from aggressive lifestyle modification.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed 1 year of consecutive patients' charts to determine the prevalence of the MS in obese individuals enrolled in a medically supervised rapid weight loss programme, the correlation of weight change with the components of the MS, and response to diet-induced weight loss.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 185 individuals, 125 (68%) met the NCEP definition of the MS. A moderate decrease in weight (6.5%) induced by a very low calorie diet (VLCD) resulted in substantial reductions of systolic (11.1 mmHg) and diastolic (5.8 mmHg) blood pressure (BP), glucose (17 mg/dl), triglycerides (94 mg/dl) and total cholesterol (37 mg/dl) at 4 weeks (all p < 0.001). These improvements were sustained at the end of active weight loss (average 16.7 weeks; total weight loss 15.1%), with further significant reductions in BP and triglycerides. Weight loss was related to the changes in each criterion of the metabolic syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The MS is prevalent in two-thirds of obese individuals enrolling in a structured weight loss programme. Moderate weight loss with a VLCD markedly improved all aspects of the MS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA.
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Case
authors.forename: P H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: O'Brian Smith
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ballantyne
mesh_terms: D001794:Blood Pressure; D015992:Body Mass Index; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000097:blood / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL