COMPLIANCE, CLINICAL EFFECTS, AND FACTORS PREDICTING WEIGHT-REDUCTIONDURING A VERY-LOW-CALORIE DIET REGIME

Objective - To study compliance, clinical effects, and factors predict ing weight reduction in obese patients treated with a very low calorie diet (VLCD) regime. Setting - A general practice in Oslo, Norway. Sub jects - 253 obese volunteers, aged 15-72, with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 33.4 (25-51) kg/m(2). Design - Open, non-comparative trial. P atients used a VLCD for eight consecutive weeks to achieve weight loss . The following were recorded every second week: weight, blood pressur e, anthropometric measurements, compliance, side-effects, and patient acceptability. Blood parameters were tested before and after the trial . Results - VAS-measurements showed that patients found it easy to com ply with treatment, and 87.0% completed the study. Mean weight loss wa s 13.2 (2-33) kg. Blood pressure, serum lipids, and anthropometric mea surements were significantly reduced. Side-effects were few and occurr ed mainly during the first two weeks of the trial. Main factors predic ting weight reduction were gender, initial weight, initial BMI, and ag e. There was no correlation between weight loss and duration of obesit y or reported number of weight reduction attempts. By VAS-measurements good acceptability of satiety and taste was recorded, and patients re ported improved physical fitness and better quality of life after weig ht reduction.