TO THE EDITOR:
Gudzune and colleagues (1) do not acknowledge the lack of evidence showing that dieting-induced weight loss reduces mortality or cardiovascular events in obese persons. In a large, multicenter intensive diet and lifestyle intervention trial, cardiovascular events (heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular-related deaths) did not decrease in obese and overweight diabetics despite these participants losing 6% of their body weight with a median follow-up of 9.6 years (2). Although the large, sustained weight loss associated with bariatric surgery decreases mortality in morbidly obese patients (3), weight loss from dieting has not shown similar benefits (4). In contrast, improving ...
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Gudzune KA ,Doshi RS ,Mehta AK ,Chaudhry ZW ,Jacobs DK ,Vakil RM ,et al . Efficacy of commercial weight-loss programs: an updated systematic review. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:501-12. [PMID:25844997 ] doi:10.7326/M14-2238 LinkGoogle Scholar - 2.
Wing RR ,Bolin P ,Brancati FL ,Bray GA ,Clark JM ,Coday M ,et al ;Look AHEAD Research Group . Cardiovascular effects of intensive lifestyle intervention in type 2 diabetes. N Engl J Med. 2013;369:145-54. [PMID:23796131 ] doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1212914 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar - 3.
Sjöström L ,Narbro K ,Sjöström CD ,Karason K ,Larsson B ,Wedel H ,et al ;Swedish Obese Subjects Study . Effects of bariatric surgery on mortality in Swedish obese subjects. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:741-52. [PMID:17715408 ] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar - 4.
Kritchevsky SB ,Beavers KM ,Miller ME ,Shea MK ,Houston DK ,Kitzman DW ,et al . Intentional weight loss and all-cause mortality: a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. PLoS One. 2015;10:e0121993. [PMID:25794148 ] doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0121993 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar - 5.
Lee DC ,Sui X ,Artero EG ,Lee IM ,Church TS ,McAuley PA ,et al . Long-term effects of changes in cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index on all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality in men: the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study. Circulation. 2011;124:2483-90. [PMID:22144631 ] doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.111.038422 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar
Author, Article and Disclosure Information
From University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L15-0313.
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