TOPLINE:

Women with obesity lost more weight with a novel multicomponent nutrition intervention called NutrirCom than on a calorie-restricted diet.

METHODOLOGY:

• Researchers assessed the effects on women with obesity of NutrirCom, a multicomponent, person-centered nutritional intervention protocol developed by researchers in Brazil that integrates nutritional, psychoemotional, behavioral, and social strategies, while emphasizing eating autonomy, mental health, and quality of life.
• For a 6-month randomized, parallel, open-label trial, 89 participants with obesity were allocated to one of three groups: group 1 (control) received a personalized hypocaloric diet (from 500 kcal/d to 1000 kcal/d less, relative to their daily energy requirements); group 2 received 10 individual NutrirCom-based sessions; and group 3 combined individual NutrirCom sessions with monthly group meetings for social support.
• Changes in stress, anxiety, depression, and self-compassion, along with anthropometric and metabolic markers, were compared between the NutrirCom intervention and caloric restriction.

TAKEAWAY:

• All groups showed reductions in waist circumference, fasting glucose, and total body fat, as well as increased lean mass.
• Anxiety remained unchanged in group 1 but decreased significantly in groups 2 and 3.
• Only group 2 showed a significant reduction in depression symptoms.
• Self-compassion — emphasizing body acceptance and a nonjudgmental relationship food and the body — improved significantly in groups 2 and 3.

IN PRACTICE:

“The actions proposed by the protocol, such as mindful eating, active listening, spirituality, sleep promotion, and encouragement of enjoyable physical activity, targeted multiple dimensions of care and were fundamental to improving participants’ quality of life,” the authors wrote. “The integration of these aspects is associated with greater adherence to behavior change and the sustainability of the outcomes achieved…. The collective sessions promot[ed] a sense of belonging, bonding, and shared responsibility among participants.”

SOURCE:

The study, led by Irene da Silva Araújo Gonçalves of Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Brazil, was published online in Nutrients.

LIMITATIONS:

The study was limited by the possibility of selection bias, since participants who remained in the study may have been more motivated, available, or engaged with healthcare. In addition, the multicomponent nature of the intervention limited the attribution of effects to isolated components of it.

DISCLOSURES:

The study was funded by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development; the Municipal Government of Viçosa, which covered all laboratory tests; and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel. 

The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

Marilynn Larkin, MA, is an award-winning medical writer and editor whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Medscape Medical News and its sister publication MDedge, The Lancet (where she was a contributing editor), and Reuters Health.