Managing Cardiometabolic Risk

Diet-induced weight loss and intra-abdominal fat reduction

Page: 5 of 12

The second weight reduction method focuses on energy intake. A calorie-restricted diet has traditionally been the cornerstone of obesity reduction treatment (30). A number of studies have assessed the effects of chronic caloric restriction on weight loss and intra-abdominal fat reduction (17, 18, 31-38). Much like in exercise interventions, there are a range of responses in terms of weight loss (5 to 18 kg) and intra-abdominal fat reduction (15 to 47%) with varying degrees of caloric restriction (from a 400 kcal/day reduction to a very low calorie diet of 800 kcal/day). The interventions that prescribe a very low calorie diet ranging from 800 to 1,200 kcal/day and lasting 3-6 months tend to produce the most marked reductions in weight (10 to 18 kg) and intra-abdominal fat (24 to 47%) (31, 35, 36). The more moderate approaches that reduce caloric intake by 400 to 700 kcal/day produce more modest reductions in body weight (5 to 9 kg) and intra-abdominal fat (15 to 30%) (17, 18, 32-34, 37). Overall, approximately 3 months of a 500 kcal/day reduction in caloric intake is enough to reduce body weight by approximately 5 kg and intra-abdominal fat by about 0.5 kg (17, 18). 

Reference

close

17. Ross R, Dagnone D, Jones PJ, et al. Reduction in obesity and related comorbid conditions after diet-induced weight loss or exercise-induced weight loss in men. A randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med 2000; 133: 92-103.

18. Ross R, Janssen I, Dawson J, et al. Exercise-induced reduction in obesity and insulin resistance in women: a randomized controlled trial. Obes Res 2004; 12: 789-98.

30. Williamson DF, Serdula MK, Anda RF, et al. Weight loss attempts in adults: goals, duration, and rate of weight loss. Am J Public Health 1992; 82: 1251-7.

31. Goodpaster BH, Kelley DE, Wing RR, et al. Effects of weight loss on regional fat distribution and insulin sensitivity in obesity. Diabetes 1999; 48: 839-47.

32. Rissanen P, Makimattila S, Vehmas T, et al. Effect of weight loss and regional fat distribution on plasma leptin concentration in obese women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 1999; 23: 645-9.

33. Racette SB, Weiss EP, Villareal DT, et al. One year of caloric restriction in humans: feasibility and effects on body composition and abdominal adipose tissue. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2006; 61: 943-50.

34. You T, Berman DM, Ryan AS, et al. Effects of hypocaloric diet and exercise training on inflammation and adipocyte lipolysis in obese postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004; 89: 1739-46.

35. Larson-Meyer DE, Heilbronn LK, Redman LM, et al. Effect of calorie restriction with or without exercise on insulin sensitivity, beta-cell function, fat cell size, and ectopic lipid in overweight subjects. Diabetes Care 2006; 29: 1337-44.

36. Purnell JQ, Kahn SE, Albers JJ, et al. Effect of weight loss with reduction of intra-abdominal fat on lipid metabolism in older men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000; 85: 977-82.

37. Redman LM, Heilbronn LK, Martin CK, et al. Effect of calorie restriction with or without exercise on body composition and fat distribution. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2007; 92: 865-72.

38. Weiss EP and Holloszy JO. Improvements in body composition, glucose tolerance, and insulin action induced by increasing energy expenditure or decreasing energy intake. J Nutr 2007; 137: 1087-90.

Page: 5 of 12