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Purpose: Changes in autonomic (ANS) and enteric nervous systems (ENS) may be involved in pathogenesis of obesity. We hypothesized that baseline autonomic and enteric parameters may predict outcomes of diverse obesity therapies., Material and Methods: We studied ANS and ENS physiology in 37 patients (8 male, 29 female, age 45 years, weight 129.7 kg) at 4 centers in patients undergoing medical (9: low-calorie diet) versus invasive (22: 16 sleeve, 6 bypass) and semi-invasive (6: 2 band, 2 high energy stimulation, 2 aspiration) weight loss therapies. Weight loss was reported as percent weight loss from baseline to latest values at 1 year and in some up to 5 years; classified as < or > /= 20% for each group. ANS testing included sympathetic adrenergic function by measuring reflex vasoconstriction and postural adjustment ratio. ENS was measured non-invasively using cutaneous low-resolution electrogastrogram., Results: Percent weight loss was greater with the invasive (28.5%) than semi-invasive (9.1%) or non-invasive low-calorie diet (4.4%) (p < .001). Percent weight loss at 1 year (and up to 5 years) corresponded to the adrenergic measure of postural adjustment ratio (r = .42, p = .012), total pulse amplitude at rest (r = .56, p < .001), and electrogastrogram standing-to-rest difference (r = .33, p = .056)., Conclusion: Baseline autonomic and enteric function measures correspond to percentage with loss in this pilot study using diverse weight loss methods. Autonomic and enteric profiling has potential clinical use for evaluation and treatment of obesity but needed larger controlled trials., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Importance: Lifestyle interventions for obesity produce reductions in body weight that can decrease risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease but are limited by suboptimal maintenance of lost weight and inadequate dissemination in low-resource communities., Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of extended care programs for obesity management delivered remotely in rural communities through the US Cooperative Extension System., Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted from October 21, 2013, to December 21, 2018, in Cooperative Extension Service offices of 14 counties in Florida. A total of 851 individuals were screened for participation; 220 individuals did not meet eligibility criteria, and 103 individuals declined to participate. Of 528 individuals who initiated a 4-month lifestyle intervention, 445 qualified for randomization. Data were analyzed from August 22 to October 21, 2019., Interventions: Participants were randomly assigned to extended care delivered via individual or group telephone counseling or an education control program delivered via email. All participants received 18 modules with posttreatment recommendations for maintaining lost weight. In the telephone-based interventions, health coaches provided participants with 18 individual or group sessions focused on problem solving for obstacles to the maintenance of weight loss., Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was change in body weight from the conclusion of initial intervention (month 4) to final follow-up (month 22). An additional outcome was the proportion of participants achieving at least 10% body weight reduction at follow-up., Results: Among 445 participants (mean [SD] age, 55.4 [10.2] years; 368 [82.7%] women; 329 [73.9%] white), 149 participants (33.5%) were randomized to individual telephone counseling, 143 participants (32.1%) were randomized to group telephone counseling, and 153 participants (34.4%) were randomized to the email education control. Mean (SD) baseline weight was 99.9 (14.6) kg, and mean (SD) weight loss after the initial intervention was 8.3 (4.9) kg. Mean weight regains at follow-up were 2.3 (95% credible interval [CrI], 1.2-3.4) kg in the individual telephone counseling group, 2.8 (95% CrI, 1.4-4.2) kg for the group telephone counseling group, and 4.1 (95% CrI, 3.1-5.0) kg for the education control group, with a significantly smaller weight regain observed in the individual telephone counseling group vs control group (posterior probability >.99). A larger proportion of participants in the individual telephone counseling group achieved at least 10% weight reductions (31.5% [95% CrI, 24.1%-40.0%]) than in the control group (19.1% [95% CrI, 14.1%-24.9%]) (posterior probability >.99)., Conclusions and Relevance: This randomized clinical trial found that providing extended care for obesity management in rural communities via individual telephone counseling decreased weight regain and increased the proportion of participants who sustained clinically meaningful weight losses., Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02054624.

Objective: This study examined the effects of three doses of behavioral weight loss treatment, compared with a nutrition education control group, on changes in glycemic control in individuals with obesity and prediabetes., Research Design and Methods: The study included 287 adults (77% female, 81% White; mean (SD) age=54.1 (10.5) years, body mass index=36.3 (3.9) kg/m 2 , and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)=5.9 (0.2%)). Participants were randomized to one of three behavioral treatment doses (high=24 sessions, moderate=16 sessions, or low=8 sessions) or to an education group (control=8 sessions). Changes in HbA1c, fasting glucose, and body weight were assessed from baseline to 6 months., Results: Mean (99.2% credible interval (CI)) reductions in HbA1c were 0.11% (0.07% to 0.16%), 0.08% (0.03% to 0.13%), 0.03% (-0.01% to 0.07%), and 0.02% (-0.02% to 0.07%), for the high, moderate, low, and control conditions, respectively. Mean (CI) reductions in fasting blood glucose were 0.26 mmol/L (0.14 to 0.39), 0.09 mmol/L (0 to 0.19), 0.01 mmol/L (-0.07 to 0.09), and 0.04 mmol/L (-0.03 to 0.12) for the high, moderate, low, and control conditions, respectively. The high-dose treatment produced significantly greater reductions in HbA1c and fasting blood glucose than the low-dose and control conditions (posterior probabilities (pp)<0.001); no other significant between-group differences were observed. Mean (CI) reductions in body weight were 10.91 kg (9.30 to 12.64), 10.08 kg (8.38 to 11.72), 6.35 kg (5.19 to 7.69), and 3.82 kg (3.04 to 4.54) for the high, moderate, low, and control conditions, respectively. All between-group differences in 6-month weight change were significant (pps<0.001) except for the high-dose versus moderate-dose comparison., Conclusion: For adults with obesity and prediabetes a high dose of behavioral treatment involving 24 sessions over 6 months may be needed to optimize improvements in glycemic control., Trial Registration Number: NCT00912652., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared. DX participated in the study while working at the University of Texas at Austin, prior to her current affiliation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Thus, study findings and conclusions were not formally disseminated by the FDA and should not be construed to represent an agency decision or policy.

Objective: Controversy exists regarding the optimal energy prescription to promote successful long-term behavioral management of obesity. Prescribing intake of 1,000 (vs. 1,500) kcal/day may produce larger initial weight reduction, but long-term advantage remains unclear. The effects of prescribing 1,000 versus 1,500 kcal/day on 6- and 12-month weight changes within behavioral treatment of obesity were examined., Design and Methods: Participants were 125 obese women (mean ± SD; BMI = 37.84 ± 3.94 kg/m(2) ) randomly assigned goals of 1,000 or 1,500 kcal/day., Results: From months 0 to 6, participants prescribed 1,000 kcal/day lost more weight than those prescribed 1,500 kcal/day (mean ± SE = -10.03 ± 0.92g vs. -6.23 ± 0.94 kg, P = 0.045); however, from months 7 through 12, only the 1,000 kcal/day condition experienced a significant weight regain (1.51 ± 0.77 kg, P = 0.025). Baseline caloric consumption moderated the effect of treatment on regain; participants with baseline intakes ≧2,000 kcal/day who were assigned 1,000 kcal/day were significantly more susceptible to weight regain than those assigned 1,500 kcal/day (P = 0.049). At month 12, a significantly greater percentage of 1,000 kcal/day participants achieved weight reductions of 5% or more than those prescribed 1,500 kcal/day., Conclusion: Encouraging obese individuals in behavioral treatment to adhere to a 1,000 kcal/day intake may increase their likelihood of achieving clinically meaningful weight losses., (Copyright © 2013 The Obesity Society.)

Background: A key issue in the treatment of obesity in older adults is whether the health benefits of weight loss outweigh the potential risks with respect to musculoskeletal injury., Objective: To compare change in weight, improvements in metabolic risk factors, and reported musculoskeletal adverse events in middle-aged (50-59 years) and older (65-74 years), obese women., Materials and Methods: Participants completed an initial 6-month lifestyle intervention for weight loss, comprised of weekly group sessions, followed by 12 months of extended care with biweekly contacts. Weight and fasting blood samples were assessed at baseline, month 6, and month 18; data regarding adverse events were collected throughout the duration of the study., Results: Both middle-aged (n = 162) and older (n = 56) women achieved significant weight reductions from baseline to month 6 (10.1 ± 0.68 kg and 9.3 ± 0.76 kg, respectively) and maintained a large proportion of their losses at month 18 (7.6 ± 0.87 kg and 7.6 ± 1.3 kg, respectively); there were no significant differences between the two groups with respect to weight change. Older women further experienced significant reductions in systolic blood pressure, HbA(1c), and C-reactive protein from baseline to month 6 and maintained these improvements at month 18. Despite potential safety concerns, we found that older women were no more likely to experience musculoskeletal adverse events during the intervention as compared with their middle-aged counterparts., Conclusion: These results suggest that older, obese women can experience significant health benefits from lifestyle treatment for obesity, including weight loss and improvements in disease risk factors. Further investigation of the impact of weight loss on additional health-related parameters and risks (eg, body composition, muscular strength, physical functioning, and injuries) in older adults is needed.

Background: A major challenge after successful weight loss is continuing the behaviors required for long-term weight maintenance. This challenge can be exacerbated in rural areas with limited local support resources., Objective: This study describes and compares program costs and cost effectiveness for 12-month extended-care lifestyle maintenance programs after an initial 6-month weight-loss program., Design: We conducted a 1-year prospective randomized controlled clinical trial., Participants/setting: The study included 215 female participants age 50 years or older from rural areas who completed an initial 6-month lifestyle program for weight loss. The study was conducted from June 1, 2003 to May 31, 2007., Intervention: The intervention was delivered through local Cooperative Extension Service offices in rural Florida. Participants were randomly assigned to a 12-month extended-care program using either individual telephone counseling (n=67), group face-to-face counseling (n=74), or a mail/control group (n=74)., Main Outcome Measures: Program delivery costs, weight loss, and self-reported health status were directly assessed through questionnaires and program activity logs. Costs were estimated across a range of enrollment sizes to allow inferences beyond the study sample., Statistical Analyses Performed: Nonparametric and parametric tests of differences across groups for program outcomes were combined with direct program cost estimates and expected value calculations to determine which scales of operation favored alternative formats for lifestyle maintenance., Results: Median weight regain during the intervention year was 1.7 kg for participants in the face-to-face format, 2.1 kg for the telephone format, and 3.1 kg for the mail/control format. For a typical group size of 13 participants, the face-to-face format had higher fixed costs, which translated into higher overall program costs ($420 per participant) when compared with individual telephone counseling ($268 per participant) and control ($226 per participant) programs. Although the net weight lost after the 12-month maintenance program was higher for the face-to-face and telephone programs compared with the control group, the average cost per expected kilogram of weight lost was higher for the face-to-face program ($47/kg) compared with the other two programs (approximately $33/kg for telephone and control)., Conclusions: Both the scale of operations and local demand for programs are important considerations in selecting a delivery format for lifestyle maintenance. In this study, the telephone format had a lower cost but similar outcomes compared with the face-to-face format., (Copyright © 2012 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Obese older adults are particularly susceptible to sarcopenia and have a higher prevalence of disability than their peers of normal weight. Interventions to improve body composition in late life are crucial to maintaining independence. The main mechanisms underlying sarcopenia have not been determined conclusively, but chronic inflammation, apoptosis, and impaired mitochondrial function are believed to play important roles. It has yet to be determined whether impaired cellular quality control mechanisms contribute to this process. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of a 6-month weight loss program combined with moderate-intensity exercise on the cellular quality control mechanisms autophagy and ubiquitin-proteasome, as well as on inflammation, apoptosis, and mitochondrial function, in the skeletal muscle of older obese women. The intervention resulted in significant weight loss (8.0 ± 3.9 % vs. 0.4 ± 3.1% of baseline weight, p = 0.002) and improvements in walking speed (reduced time to walk 400 meters, - 20.4 ± 16% vs. - 2.5 ± 12%, p = 0.03). In the intervention group, we observed a three-fold increase in messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of the autophagy regulators LC3B, Atg7, and lysosome-associated membrane protein-2 (LAMP-2) compared to controls. Changes in mRNA levels of FoxO3A and its targets MuRF1, MAFBx, and BNIP3 were on average seven-fold higher in the intervention group compared to controls, but these differences were not statistically significant. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) mRNA levels were elevated after the intervention, but we did not detect significant changes in the downstream apoptosis markers caspase 8 and 3. Mitochondrial biogenesis markers (PGC1α and TFAm) were increased by the intervention, but this was not accompanied by significant changes in mitochondrial complex content and activity. In conclusion, although exploratory in nature, this study is among the first to report the stimulation of cellular quality control mechanisms elicited by a weight loss and exercise program in older obese women.

Background: Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle are associated with physical impairments and biologic changes in older adults. Weight loss combined with exercise may reduce inflammation and improve physical functioning in overweight, sedentary, older adults. This study tested whether a weight loss program combined with moderate exercise could improve physical function in obese, older adult women., Methods: Participants (N = 34) were generally healthy, obese, older adult women (age range 55-79 years) with mild to moderate physical impairments (ie, functional limitations). Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups for 24 weeks: (i) weight loss plus exercise (WL+E; n = 17; mean age = 63.7 years [4.5]) or (ii) educational control (n = 17; mean age = 63.7 [6.7]). In the WL+E group, participants attended a group-based weight management session plus three supervised exercise sessions within their community each week. During exercise sessions, participants engaged in brisk walking and lower-body resistance training of moderate intensity. Participants in the educational control group attended monthly health education lectures on topics relevant to older adults. Outcomes were: (i) body weight, (ii) walking speed (assessed by 400-meter walk test), (iii) the Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), and (iv) knee extension isokinetic strength., Results: Participants randomized to the WL+E group lost significantly more weight than participants in the educational control group (5.95 [0.992] vs 0.23 [0.99] kg; P < 0.01). Additionally, the walking speed of participants in the WL+E group significantly increased compared with that of the control group (reduction in time on the 400-meter walk test = 44 seconds; P < 0.05). Scores on the SPPB improved in both the intervention and educational control groups from pre- to post-test (P < 0.05), with significant differences between groups (P = 0.02). Knee extension strength was maintained in both groups., Conclusion: Our findings suggest that a lifestyle-based weight loss program consisting of moderate caloric restriction plus moderate exercise can produce significant weight loss and improve physical function while maintaining muscle strength in obese, older adult women with mild to moderate physical impairments.

Background: Rural counties in the United States have higher rates of obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and associated chronic diseases than nonrural areas, yet the management of obesity in rural communities has received little attention from researchers., Methods: Obese women from rural communities who completed an initial 6-month weight-loss program at Cooperative Extension Service offices in 6 medically underserved rural counties (n = 234) were randomized to extended care or to an education control group. The extended-care programs entailed problem-solving counseling delivered in 26 biweekly sessions via telephone or face to face. Control group participants received 26 biweekly newsletters containing weight-control advice., Results: Mean weight at study entry was 96.4 kg. Mean weight loss during the initial 6-month intervention was 10.0 kg. One year after randomization, participants in the telephone and face-to-face extended-care programs regained less weight (mean [SE], 1.2 [0.7] and 1.2 [0.6] kg, respectively) than those in the education control group (3.7 [0.7] kg; P = .03 and .02, respectively). The beneficial effects of extended-care counseling were mediated by greater adherence to behavioral weight-management strategies, and cost analyses indicated that telephone counseling was less expensive than face-to-face intervention., Conclusions: Extended care delivered either by telephone or in face-to-face sessions improved the 1-year maintenance of lost weight compared with education alone. Telephone counseling constitutes an effective and cost-efficient option for long-term weight management. Delivering lifestyle interventions via the existing infrastructure of the Cooperative Extension Service represents a viable means of adapting research for rural communities with limited access to preventive health services. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00201006.

Extended-care interventions have been demonstrated to improve maintenance of weight loss after the end of initial obesity treatment; however, it is unclear whether these programs are similarly effective for African American versus White participants. The current study examined differences in effectiveness of individual versus group telephone-based extended-care on weight regain, compared to educational control, in 410 African American (n = 82) and White (n = 328) adults with obesity (mean ± SD age = 55.6 ± 10.3 years, BMI = 36.4 ± 3.7 kg/m2). After controlling for initial weight loss, multivariate linear models demonstrated a significant interaction between treatment condition and race, p =.048. Randomization to the individual telephone condition produced the least amount of weight regain in White participants, while the group condition produced the least amount of weight regain in African American participants. Future research should investigate the role of social support in regain for African American versus White participants and examine whether tailoring delivery format by race may improve long-term outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we develop methods for longitudinal quantile regression when there is monotone missingness. In particular, we propose pattern mixture models with a constraint that provides a straightforward interpretation of the marginal quantile regression parameters. Our approach allows sensitivity analysis which is an essential component in inference for incomplete data. To facilitate computation of the likelihood, we propose a novel way to obtain analytic forms for the required integrals. We conduct simulations to examine the robustness of our approach to modeling assumptions and compare its performance to competing approaches. The model is applied to data from a recent clinical trial on weight management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To evaluate the effects and costs of three doses of behavioral weight-loss treatment delivered via Cooperative Extension Offices in rural communities. Methods Obese adults ( N = 612) were randomly assigned to low, moderate, or high doses of behavioral treatment (i.e., 16, 32, or 48 sessions over two years) or to a control condition that received nutrition education without instruction in behavior modification strategies. Results Two-year mean reductions in initial body weight were 2.9% (95% Credible Interval = 1.7-4.3), 3.5% (2.0-4.8), 6.7% (5.3-7.9), and 6.8% (5.5-8.1) for the control, low-, moderate-, and high-dose conditions, respectively. The moderate-dose treatment produced weight losses similar to the high-dose condition and significantly larger than the low-dose and control conditions (posterior probability > 0.996). The percentages of participants who achieved weight reductions ≥ 5% at two years were significantly higher in the moderate-dose (58%) and high-dose (58%) conditions compared with low-dose (43%) and control (40%) conditions (posterior probability > 0.996). Cost-effectiveness analyses favored the moderate-dose treatment over all other conditions. Conclusions A moderate dose of behavioral treatment produced two-year weight reductions comparable to high-dose treatment but at a lower cost. These findings have important policy implications for the dissemination of weight-loss interventions into communities with limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Accumulating evidence suggests that both dietary restriction and exercise (DR + E) should be incorporated in weight loss interventions to treat obese, older adults. However, more information is needed on the effects to lower extremity tissue composition—an important consideration for preserving mobility in older adults. Methods. Twenty-seven sedentary women (body mass index: 36.3±5.4kg/m2; age: 63.6±5.6 yrs) were randomly assigned to 6 months of DR + E or a health education control group. Thigh and calf muscle, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT), and intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT) size were determined using magnetic resonance imaging. Physical function was measured using a long-distance corridor walk and knee extension strength. Results. Compared with control, DR + E significantly reduced body mass (-6.6±3.7kg vs control: -0.05±3.5kg; p < .01). Thigh and calf muscle volumes responded similarly between groups. Within the DR + E group, adipose tissue was reduced more in the thigh than in the calf (p < .04). Knee extension strength was unaltered by DR + E, but a trend toward increased walking speed was observed in the DR + E group (p = .09). Post hoc analyses showed that reductions in SAT and IMAT within the calf, but not the thigh, were associated with faster walking speed achieved with DR + E (SAT: r = -0.62; p = .01; IMAT: r = -0.62; p = .01). Conclusions. DR + E preserved lower extremity muscle size and function and reduced regional lower extremity adipose tissue. Although the magnitude of reduction in adipose tissue was greater in the thigh than the calf region, post hoc analyses demonstrated that reductions in calf SAT and IMAT were associated with positive adaptations in physical function. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: It is unclear whether low-carbohydrate, high-protein, weight-loss diets benefit body mass and composition beyond energy restriction alone. Objective: The objective was to use meta-regression to determine the effects of variations in protein and carbohydrate intakes on body mass and composition during energy restriction. Design: English-language studies with a dietary intervention of ⩾4200 kJ/d (1000 kcal/d), with a duration of ⩾4 wk, and conducted in subjects aged ⩾19 y were considered eligible for inclusion. A self-reported intake in conjunction with a biological marker of macronutrient intake was required as a minimum level of dietary control. Atotal of 87 studies comprising 165 intervention groups met the inclusion criteria. Results: After control for energy intake, diets consisting of ⩽35- 41.4% energy from carbohydrate were associated with a 1.74 kg greater loss of body mass, a 0.69 kg greater loss of fat-free mass, a 1.29% greater loss in percentage body fat, and a 2.05 kg greater loss of fat mass than were diets with a higher percentage of energy from carbohydrate. In studies that were conducted for >12 wk, these differences increased to 6.56 kg, 1.74 kg, 3.55%, and 5.57 kg, respectively. Protein intakes of >1.05 g/kg were associated with 0.60 kg additional fat-free mass retention compared with diets with protein intakes ⩾1.05 g/kg. In studies conducted for >12 wk, this difference increased to 1.21 kg. No significant effects of protein intake on loss of either body mass or fat mass were observed. Conclusion: Low-carbohydrate, high-protein diets favorably affect body mass and composition independent of energy intake, which in part supports the proposed metabolic advantage of these diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Obesity is a major contributor to the greater prevalence of chronic disease morbidity and mortality observed in rural versus nonrural areas of the U.S. Nonetheless, little research attention has been given to modifying this important driver of rural/urban disparities in health outcomes. Although lifestyle treatments produce weight reductions of sufficient magnitude to improve health, the existing research is limited with respect to the long-term maintenance of treatment effects and the dissemination of services to underserved populations. Recent studies have demonstrated the feasibility of delivering lifestyle programs through the infrastructure of the U.S. Cooperative Extension Service (CES), which has >2900 offices nationwide and whose mission includes nutrition education and health promotion. In addition, several randomized trials have shown that supplementing lifestyle treatment with extended-care programs consisting of either face-to-face sessions or individual telephone counseling can improve the maintenance of weight loss. However, both options entail relatively high costs that inhibit adoption in rural communities. The delivery of extended care via group-based telephone intervention may represent a promising, cost-effective alternative that is well suited to rural residents who tend to be isolated, have heightened concerns about privacy, and report lower quality of life. The Rural Lifestyle Eating and Activity Program (Rural LEAP) is a randomized trial, conducted via CES offices in rural communities, targeted to adults with obesity (n = 528), and designed to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of extended-care programs delivered via group or individual telephone counseling compared to an education control condition on long-term changes in body weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]