Rugby Fans in Training New Zealand (RUFIT NZ): a randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness of a healthy lifestyle program for overweight men delivered through professional rugby clubs.

BACKGROUND: A healthy lifestyle program that appeals to, and supports, overweight and obese New Zealand (NZ) European, Maori (indigenous) and Pasifika men to achieve weight loss is urgently needed. A pilot program inspired by the successful Football Fans in Training program but delivered via professional rugby clubs in NZ (n = 96) was shown to be effective in weight loss, adherence to healthy lifestyle behaviors, and cardiorespiratory fitness in overweight and obese men. A full effectiveness trial is now needed. AIMS: To determine the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of Rugby Fans In Training-NZ (RUFIT-NZ) on weight loss, fitness, blood pressure, lifestyle change, and health related quality of life (HRQoL) at 12- and 52-weeks. METHODS: We conducted a pragmatic, two-arm, multi-center, randomized controlled trial in NZ with 378 (target 308) overweight and obese men aged 30-65 years, randomized to an intervention group or wait-list control group. The 12-week RUFIT-NZ program was a gender-sensitised, healthy lifestyle intervention delivered through professional rugby clubs. Each intervention session included: i) a 1-h workshop-based education component focused on nutrition, physical activity, sleep, sedentary behavior, and learning evidence-based behavior change strategies for sustaining a healthier lifestyle; and 2) a 1-h group-based, but individually tailored, exercise training session. The control group were offered RUFIT-NZ after 52-weeks. The primary outcome was change in body weight from baseline to 52-weeks. Secondary outcomes included change in body weight at 12-weeks, waist circumference, blood pressure, fitness (cardiorespiratory and musculoskeletal), lifestyle behaviors (leisure-time physical activity, sleep, smoking status, and alcohol and dietary quality), and health-related quality of life at 12- and 52-weeks. RESULTS: Our final analysis included 200 participants (intervention n = 103; control n = 97) who were able to complete the RUFIT-NZ intervention prior to COVID-19 restrictions. At 52-weeks, the adjusted mean group difference in weight change (primary outcome) was -2.77 kg (95% CI -4.92 to -0.61), which favored the intervention group. The intervention also resulted in favorable significant differences in weight change and fruit and vegetable consumption at 12-weeks; and waist circumference, fitness outcomes, physical activity levels, and health-related quality of life at both 12 and 52 weeks. No significant intervention effects were observed for blood pressure, or sleep. Incremental cost-effective ratios estimated were $259 per kg lost, or $40,269 per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained. CONCLUSION: RUFIT-NZ resulted in sustained positive changes in weight, waist circumference, physical fitness, self-reported physical activity, selected dietary outcomes, and health-related quality of life in overweight/obese men. As such, the program should be recommended for sustained delivery beyond this trial, involving other rugby clubs across NZ. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12619000069156. Registered 18 January 2019, https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=376740 Universal Trial Number, U1111-1245-0645.

Rural engagement in primary care for optimizing weight reduction (REPOWER): A mixed methods study of patient perceptions.

OBJECTIVE: To report on patients' satisfaction and experience of care across three different modes of weight loss counseling. METHODS: 1407 patients with obesity in the rural Midwest were enrolled to a 2-year weight management trial through their primary care practice and assigned to one of three treatment conditions: in-clinic individual, in-clinic group, phone group counseling. Patients completed surveys assessing seven domains of satisfaction and experience of care at 6 and 24-months. Post-treatment interviews were conducted to add context to survey responses. RESULTS: 1295 (92.0%) and 1230 (87.4%) completed surveys at 6 and 24-months, respectively. Patients in phone group counseling reported lower satisfaction than patients who received in-clinic group or in-clinic individual counseling across all domains at 6-months and five out of seven domains at 24-months. Interviews revealed that patients were more satisfied when they received face-to-face counseling and had meaningful interactions with their primary care provider (PCP) about their weight. CONCLUSION: Rural patients with obesity have higher satisfaction and experience of care when weight loss counseling is delivered in a face-to-face environment and when their PCP is involved with their treatment. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Primary care practices looking to offer weight loss treatment should consider incorporating some level of face-to-face treatment plans that involves meaningful interaction with the PCP.

Is online self-regulatory training effective in weight control? A pilot experiment on adolescence obesity during coronavirus-19 lockdown.

OBJECTIVE: Studies have shown that obesity is associated with decreased executive function. Impaired executive functions lead to poor self-regulation, which in turn may result in persistence of unhealthy behaviors, including eating behaviors, throughout life. Increasing self-regulation in childhood and adolescence has positive effects on creating healthy behaviors such as reducing unnecessary eating and changing unhealthy eating habits. The main purpose of this study is to evaluate an intervention package based on cognitive self-regulation training in changing eating behaviors and reducing obesity in children and adolescents. METHODS: Fifty-six students with obesity aged 12-16 years participated in the study in three groups (cognitive self-regulation training [CSRT], diet, and control). The CSRT group received twenty 30-min online training sessions with a diet over 10 weeks. The diet group received only a diet with no other intervention, and the control group did not receive any intervention. RESULTS: The results of our 2 × 3 repeated-measures ANOVA showed that the CSRT group had a mean BMI decrease of 2.21 (kg/m² ) after ten weeks, and 3.24 (kg/m² ) at the follow-up time. The diet group had a BMI decrease of 0.49 (kg/m² ) at the ten weeks. In addition, the results showed that the CSRT had a significant reduction in eating behaviors such as external eating and emotional eating. However, the other two groups showed no changes in eating behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that online cognitive self-regulation training has been effective in weight loss and eating behaviors. This study shows promising evidence for the efficacy of the online CSRT-training as a weight stabilization intervention in children with obesity.

Effectiveness of Early Time-Restricted Eating for Weight Loss, Fat Loss, and Cardiometabolic Health in Adults With Obesity: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: It is unclear how effective intermittent fasting is for losing weight and body fat, and the effects may depend on the timing of the eating window. This randomized trial compared time-restricted eating (TRE) with eating over a period of 12 or more hours while matching weight-loss counseling across groups. Objective: To determine whether practicing TRE by eating early in the day (eTRE) is more effective for weight loss, fat loss, and cardiometabolic health than eating over a period of 12 or more hours. Design, Setting, and Participants: The study was a 14-week, parallel-arm, randomized clinical trial conducted between August 2018 and April 2020. Participants were adults aged 25 to 75 years with obesity and who received weight-loss treatment through the Weight Loss Medicine Clinic at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital. Interventions: All participants received weight-loss treatment (energy restriction [ER]) and were randomized to eTRE plus ER (8-hour eating window from 7:00 to 15:00) or control eating (CON) plus ER (≥12-hour window). Main Outcomes and Measures: The co-primary outcomes were weight loss and fat loss. Secondary outcomes included blood pressure, heart rate, glucose levels, insulin levels, and plasma lipid levels. Results: Ninety participants were enrolled (mean [SD] body mass index, 39.6 [6.7]; age, 43 [11] years; 72 [80%] female). The eTRE+ER group adhered 6.0 (0.8) days per week. The eTRE+ER intervention was more effective for losing weight (-2.3 kg; 95% CI, -3.7 to -0.9 kg; P = .002) but did not affect body fat (-1.4 kg; 95% CI, -2.9 to 0.2 kg; P = .09) or the ratio of fat loss to weight loss (-4.2%; 95% CI, -14.9 to 6.5%; P = .43). The effects of eTRE+ER were equivalent to reducing calorie intake by an additional 214 kcal/d. The eTRE+ER intervention also improved diastolic blood pressure (-4 mm Hg; 95% CI, -8 to 0 mm Hg; P = .04) and mood disturbances, including fatigue-inertia, vigor-activity, and depression-dejection. All other cardiometabolic risk factors, food intake, physical activity, and sleep outcomes were similar between groups. In a secondary analysis of 59 completers, eTRE+ER was also more effective for losing body fat and trunk fat than CON+ER. Conclusions and Relevance: In this randomized clinical trial, eTRE was more effective for losing weight and improving diastolic blood pressure and mood than eating over a window of 12 or more hours at 14 weeks. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03459703.

[Benefits of telematic monitoring for weight loss in overweight and obese patients in times of confinement]. / Beneficios del seguimiento telemático en la pérdida de peso de pacientes con sobrepeso y obesidad en tiempos de confinamiento.

Introduction: Introduction: the pandemic originated by SARS-Cov-2 in 2019 led to eating habits and physical exercise changes due to home confinement measures. The follow-up of patients in treatment for weight loss through telematic consultation could be a useful tool to prevent treatment failure. Objective: to describe the evolution of anthropometric parameters of patients under follow-up for weight loss through telematic consultation. Methods: a two-stage prospective study (before and after confinement) with a telematic intervention in adult patients under regular follow-up for overweight and obesity. Demographic variables and body composition parameters were analyzed by bioimpendance. In addition, the differences in the presence of drug treatment with GLP-1 hormone (liraglutide or semaglutide) adjuvants were also analyzed. The variables were studied using Wilcoxon's test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and Spearman's correlation. Significance was considered for p ≤ 0.05. Results: a total of 97 patients were included, before confinement 42.3 % were overweight (BMI < 30 kg/m2), 36.1 % were obese grade I (BMI = 30-34.9 kg/m2), 16.4 % were obese grade II (BMI = 35-39.9 kg/m2), and 5.2 % had BMI > 40 kg/m2. In all, 30.9 % had prediabetes and 9.3 % had type-2 diabetes. Between both consultations, 81.4 % of patients lost 4.2 ± 3.4 % of their weight, with a significant mean decrease in fat mass of 3.16 ± 4.4 kg. The group on pharmacological treatment with GLP-1 hormone analogs presented a significantly higher average fat loss without significant loss of skeletal muscle mass. Conclusions: telematic monitoring seems to be a useful tool to prevent weight gain in patients with restricted mobility. A telematic intervention that contains dietary advice and exercise, as a reinforcement to hypocaloric diet, helps to achieve weight loss with a predominant fat component. The presence of drug treatment with GLP-1 hormone analogues appears to significantly help maintain skeletal muscle mass during weight loss.

Introducción: Introducción: la pandemia originada en 2019 por el SARS-CoV-2 supuso un cambio en los hábitos de alimentación y ejercicio físico por causa de las medidas de confinamiento domiciliario. El seguimiento de pacientes en tratamiento de pérdida de peso mediante una consulta telemática podría ser una herramienta útil para prevenir el fracaso terapéutico. Objetivo: describir la evolución de los parámetros antropométricos de pacientes en seguimiento para pérdida de peso mediante una consulta telemática. Métodos: estudio prospectivo en 2 tiempos (antes y después del confinamiento) de una intervención telemática sobre pacientes adultos en seguimiento habitual por sobrepeso y obesidad. Se analizaron las variables demográficas y los parámetros de composición corporal mediante bioimpendancia. Además se analizaron las diferencias en cuanto a presencia de tratamiento farmacológico adyuvante del tipo de los análogos de la hormona GLP1 (liraglutida o semaglutida). Las variables se estudiaron mediante la prueba de Wilcoxon, la U de Mann-Whitney y la correlación de Spearman. Se consideró la significación si p ≤ 0,05. Resultados: se incluyeron 97 pacientes. Antes del confinamiento, el 42,3 % presentaban sobrepeso (IMC < 30 kg/m2), el 36,1 % tenían obesidad de grado I (IMC = 30-34,9 kg/m2), el 16,4 % la tenían de grado II (IMC = 35-39,9 kg/m2) y el 5,2 % tenían un IMC > 40 kg/m2. El 30,9 % presentaban prediabetes y el 9,3 % tenían diabetes de tipo 2. Entre ambas visitas presenciales, el 81,4 % de los pacientes perdieron un 4,2 ± 3,4 % del peso, con una disminución media significativa de la masa grasa de 3,16 ± 4,4 kg. El grupo en tratamiento farmacológico con análogos de la hormona GLP-1 presentó una pérdida de masa grasa media significativamente superior sin pérdida de masa muscular esquelética significativa. Conclusiones: el seguimiento telemático parece una herramienta útil para prevenir la ganancia de peso en los pacientes con restricción de la movilidad. Una intervención telemática que contenga consejo dietético y ejercicio como refuerzo de la dieta hipocalórica ayuda a conseguir perder peso, predominando el componente graso. La presencia de un tratamiento farmacológico con análogos de la hormona GLP-1 parece ayudar significativamente al mantenimiento de la masa muscular esquelética durante la pérdida de peso.

Temporal changes in soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 associated with metabolic health, body composition, and proteome dynamics during a weight loss diet intervention: a randomized trial with implications for the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) serves protective functions in metabolic, cardiovascular, renal, and pulmonary diseases and is linked to COVID-19 pathology. The correlates of temporal changes in soluble ACE2 (sACE2) remain understudied. OBJECTIVES: We explored the associations of sACE2 with metabolic health and proteome dynamics during a weight loss diet intervention. METHODS: We analyzed 457 healthy individuals (mean ± SD age: 39.8 ± 6.6 y) with BMI 28-40 kg/m2 in the DIETFITS (Diet Intervention Examining the Factors Interacting with Treatment Success) study. Biochemical markers of metabolic health and 236 proteins were measured by Olink CVDII, CVDIII, and Inflammation I arrays at baseline and at 6 mo during the dietary intervention. We determined clinical and routine biochemical correlates of the diet-induced change in sACE2 (ΔsACE2) using stepwise linear regression. We combined feature selection models and multivariable-adjusted linear regression to identify protein dynamics associated with ΔsACE2. RESULTS: sACE2 decreased on average at 6 mo during the diet intervention. Stronger decline in sACE2 during the diet intervention was independently associated with female sex, lower HOMA-IR and LDL cholesterol at baseline, and a stronger decline in HOMA-IR, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, and fat mass. Participants with decreasing HOMA-IR (OR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.28, 3.03) and triglycerides (OR: 2.71; 95% CI: 1.72, 4.26) had significantly higher odds for a decrease in sACE2 during the diet intervention than those without (P ≤ 0.0073). Feature selection models linked ΔsACE2 to changes in α-1-microglobulin/bikunin precursor, E-selectin, hydroxyacid oxidase 1, kidney injury molecule 1, tyrosine-protein kinase Mer, placental growth factor, thrombomodulin, and TNF receptor superfamily member 10B. ΔsACE2 remained associated with these protein changes in multivariable-adjusted linear regression. CONCLUSIONS: Decrease in sACE2 during a weight loss diet intervention was associated with improvements in metabolic health, fat mass, and markers of angiotensin peptide metabolism, hepatic and vascular injury, renal function, chronic inflammation, and oxidative stress. Our findings may improve the risk stratification, prevention, and management of cardiometabolic complications.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01826591.

Leveraging Genomic Associations in Precision Digital Care for Weight Loss: Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgency of addressing an epidemic of obesity and associated inflammatory illnesses. Previous studies have demonstrated that interactions between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and lifestyle interventions such as food and exercise may vary metabolic outcomes, contributing to obesity. However, there is a paucity of research relating outcomes from digital therapeutics to the inclusion of genetic data in care interventions. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to describe and model the weight loss of participants enrolled in a precision digital weight loss program informed by the machine learning analysis of their data, including genomic data. It was hypothesized that weight loss models would exhibit a better fit when incorporating genomic data versus demographic and engagement variables alone. METHODS: A cohort of 393 participants enrolled in Digbi Health's personalized digital care program for 120 days was analyzed retrospectively. The care protocol used participant data to inform precision coaching by mobile app and personal coach. Linear regression models were fit of weight loss (pounds lost and percentage lost) as a function of demographic and behavioral engagement variables. Genomic-enhanced models were built by adding 197 SNPs from participant genomic data as predictors and refitted using Lasso regression on SNPs for variable selection. Success or failure logistic regression models were also fit with and without genomic data. RESULTS: Overall, 72.0% (n=283) of the 393 participants in this cohort lost weight, whereas 17.3% (n=68) maintained stable weight. A total of 142 participants lost 5% bodyweight within 120 days. Models described the impact of demographic and clinical factors, behavioral engagement, and genomic risk on weight loss. Incorporating genomic predictors improved the mean squared error of weight loss models (pounds lost and percent) from 70 to 60 and 16 to 13, respectively. The logistic model improved the pseudo R2 value from 0.193 to 0.285. Gender, engagement, and specific SNPs were significantly associated with weight loss. SNPs within genes involved in metabolic pathways processing food and regulating fat storage were associated with weight loss in this cohort: rs17300539_G (insulin resistance and monounsaturated fat metabolism), rs2016520_C (BMI, waist circumference, and cholesterol metabolism), and rs4074995_A (calcium-potassium transport and serum calcium levels). The models described greater average weight loss for participants with more risk alleles. Notably, coaching for dietary modification was personalized to these genetic risks. CONCLUSIONS: Including genomic information when modeling outcomes of a digital precision weight loss program greatly enhanced the model accuracy. Interpretable weight loss models indicated the efficacy of coaching informed by participants' genomic risk, accompanied by active engagement of participants in their own success. Although large-scale validation is needed, our study preliminarily supports precision dietary interventions for weight loss using genetic risk, with digitally delivered recommendations alongside health coaching to improve intervention efficacy.

Ninety days post-hospitalization evaluation of residual COVID-19 symptoms through a phone call check list.

An observational and descriptive study including patients discharged for COVID-19 was carried out by the COVID-19 Working Group of the Hospital Clínico San Carlos (HCSC). We aimed to identify the main symptoms after 90 days of hospital discharged. A structured interview was conducted, through a "checklist" that included symptoms within the 90 days post-discharge. A total of 134 patients were enrolled. The most frequently referred symptoms were asthenia, dyspnea and weight loss. Anxiety was the most frequent psychological symptom found through the GAD-7 scale.

Metabolic impact of weight loss induced reduction of adipose ACE-2 - Potential implication in COVID-19 infections?

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-2 is a modulator of adipose tissue metabolism. However, human data of adipose ACE-2 is rarely available. Considering that, ACE-2 is believed to be the receptor responsible for cell entry of SARS-CoV-2, a better understanding of its regulation is desirable. We therefore characterized the modulation of subcutaneous adipose ACE-2 mRNA expression during weight loss and the impact of ACE-2 expression on weight loss induced short- and long-term improvements of glucose metabolism. METHODS: 143 subjects (age > 18; BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2) were analyzed before and after a standardized 12-week dietary weight reduction program. Afterwards subjects were randomized to a 12-month lifestyle intervention or a control group (Maintain-Adults trial). Insulin sensitivity (IS) was estimated by HOMA-IR (as an estimate of liver IS) and ISIClamp (as an estimate of skeletal muscle IS). ACE-2 mRNA expression (ACE-2AT) was measured in subcutaneous adipose tissue before and after weight loss. RESULTS: ACE-2AT was not affected by obesity, but was reduced in insulin resistant subjects. Weight loss resulted in a decline of ACE-2AT (29.0 (20.0-47.9) vs. 21.0 (13.0-31.0); p = 1.6 ∗ 10-7). A smaller reduction of ACE-2 AT (ΔACE-2AT) was associated with a larger improvement of ISIClamp (p = 0.013) during weight reduction over 3 months, but not with the extend of weight loss. The degree of changes in insulin resistance were preserved until month 12 and was also predicted by the weight loss induced degree of ΔACE-2AT (p = 0.011). CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that subcutaneous adipose ACE-2 expression correlates with insulin sensitivity. Weight loss induced decline of subcutaneous adipose ACE-2 expression might affect short- and long-term improvement of myocellular insulin sensitivity, which might be also relevant in the context of ACE-2 downregulation by SARS-CoV-2. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT00850629, https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00850629, date of registration: February 25, 2009.