title: Long-term effects of a multidisciplinary treatment of uncomplicated obesity on carotid intima-media thickness.
abstract: Obesity is associated with well-known cardiovascular risk factors and a lower life expectancy. This study investigated whether nonoperative nutritional treatment of obesity without comorbidities influenced the carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) in the long run. Fifty-four subjects of an original cohort of 251 subjects were re-evaluated 10 years after a medical nutritional treatment (MNT) with cognitive-behavioral approach for uncomplicated obesity. Forty subjects were classified as failure (10-year body weight change > 0.5 kg) and 14 (body weight change ≤ 0.5 kg) as a success of the MNT. Ten years after MNT, c-IMT significantly increased (0.06 ± 0.02 mm; P = 0.004) in the failure group and significantly decreased (-0.07 ± 0.03 mm; P = 0.027) in the success group. Ten-year change in c-IMT correlated significantly with 10-year change in body weight (r = 0.28; P = 0.040). Multiple stepwise linear regression analysis demonstrated that age, final BMI, and group (success or failure) influenced independently the 10-year c-IMT. In conclusion, this study is in agreement with the possibility that the successful MNT of obesity may be an effective choice in the long run and seems to indicate that it may be able to reduce the cardiovascular risk as reflected by the change in c-IMT.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Interna, Malattie Cardiovascolari e NefroUrologiche; Facoltà di Medicina, University of Palermo, Palermo, Sicily, Italy. silbus@tin.it
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Buscemi
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Batsis
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Verga
authors.forename: Tommasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Carciola
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mattina
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Citarda
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Re
authors.forename: Mariangela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Arnone
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: D'Orio
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Belmonte
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: D'Angelo
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cerasola
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D015992:Body Mass Index; D017536:Carotid Artery, Common / Q000473:pathology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D017539:Tunica Intima / Q000473:pathology*; D017540:Tunica Media / Q000473:pathology*; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult