Effects of weight loss among metabolically healthy obese men and women.
OBJECTIVE
Weight loss among metabolically healthy obese (MHO) individuals may be unnecessary or result in elevated cardio-metabolic risk. We studied the effects of exercise- or diet-induced weight loss on cardio-metabolic risk among MHO and metabolically abnormal obese (MAO) adults.


METHODS
Participants were 63 MHO and 43 MAO adults who took part in 3 to 6 months of exercise- or diet-induced weight loss intervention. Changes in anthropometry, adipose tissue distribution, and cardio-metabolic risk factors were assessed.


RESULTS
Body weight, waist circumference, and total abdominal and visceral adipose tissue were reduced in all subjects (P < 0.05). Improvements in insulin sensitivity were observed in MHO and MAO men and women (P < 0.05), but were greater in the MAO individuals (P < 0.05). Fasting insulin was the only other cardio-metabolic improvement among MHO individuals (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Lifestyle-induced weight loss among MHO subjects is associated with a reduction in total and abdominal obesity and improvement in selected cardio-metabolic risk factors.
Janiszewski
Peter M
PM
School of Kinesiology and Health Studies, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Ross
Robert
R
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology*