Body-fat distribution and serum lipids during the long-term follow-up of obese patients treated initially with a very-low-calorie diet

To evaluate a long-term efficacy of very-lowcalorie-diet (VLCD) treatment, 42 obese patients were reexamined I y after the initiation ofthe weight reduction by VLCD treatment for 1 mo. All the subjects participating in the longterm outpatient weight-reduction regime were divided into weight losers and regainers according to the weight change achieved at the end of l-y follow-up. A final body weight decrease in weight losers was followed by a significant decline of total cholesterol-high-density-lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ratio together with significant rise of serum HDL cholesterol whereas almost all skinfold thicknesses declined. In weight regainers the sum of 10 skinfold thicknesses was the same at the end of followup as at the beginning of VLCD treatment, but body fat distribution was shifted towards the gynoid type when individual skinfold thicknesses were assessed. However, among the generally employed indexes ofbody fat distribution only waist-thigh ratio significantly decreased in weight losers. Nonsignificant differences in serum concentrations of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides between weight regainers and weight losers at the end of long-term follow-up suggest that some kind of adherence to weight reduction regime including physical exercise may favorably affect the lipid profile as well as body fat distribution independently on the body weight regained. Am J C/in Nutr 1992:56:283S-5S.