TOPLINE

A secondary analysis of the CALERIE trial found that greater weight variability during the first 12 weeks of a 2-year caloric-restriction diet was independently associated with significantly less weight loss at 6 months in healthy adults without obesity.

METHODOLOGY

• Previous studies on weight variability and weight change haven’t examined individuals without obesity or with no history of medical or psychiatric conditions, making it unclear whether the association reflects weight status or an underlying process independent of health status.
• Researchers conducted a secondary analysis of data from the US-based CALERIE trial to examine whether short-term weight variability was associated with subsequent long-term weight loss in 143 healthy adults without obesity (mean age, 38.0 years; 69.2% women; BMI, 22-28) who underwent a 25% calorie-restriction intervention over 2 years and had no history of notable medical or psychiatric conditions.
• Individual body weights were taken in the clinic under standard conditions (in morning, while fasting, after voiding, and wearing a gown without shoes) at nine visits over the first 12 weeks (weekly for 4 weeks, then every other week); weight variability was calculated from those measurements using standard statistical methods.
• Subsequent weight loss was defined as the change in weight at 6, 12, 18, and 24 months relative to the weight at 3 months; positive values indicated additional weight loss, and negative values indicated weight regain.

TAKEAWAY

• Higher standardized weight variability during the first 12 weeks was significantly associated with less subsequent weight loss at 6 months (regression coefficient, -0.16; P = .003), even after adjustment for adherence to calorie restriction and eating behaviors (disinhibition, restraint, and craving).
• At 6 months, the estimated difference in weight loss between participants at the 25th and 75th percentiles of weight variability was 0.45 kg, representing a relative difference of 19.2%.
• Greater subsequent weight loss after month 3 was positively associated with baseline BMI and adherence to calorie restriction and negatively associated with change in weight during the first 3 months (those who lost more weight early showed less additional weight loss later).
• The negative association between weight variability and weight loss persisted throughout the first year, but the effect weakened and was no longer statistically significant after 12 months.

IN PRACTICE

“[The study] results replicate and extend prior findings in diverse populations, highlighting the robustness of WV [weight variability] as a predictor of long-term weight change. WV may also serve as a unique marker for adverse psychological and physical health outcomes. Consequently, these findings raise important questions about the clinical and research implications, including how identifying individuals with higher WV might help to prevent negative health outcomes,” the authors of the study wrote.

SOURCE

The study was led by Branislav Jovanovic, Drexel University, Philadelphia. It was published online in Obesity.

LIMITATIONS

The study included a relatively homogeneous sample. The sample size was relatively small, which limited statistical power. Additionally, the study did not control all possible behavioral or eating-related variables such as physical activity or food diary records.

DISCLOSURES

The CALERIE study was funded by the National Institute on Aging. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.