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Personalized energy expenditure data significantly improved weight loss outcomes in patients with obesity, enhancing adherence to lifestyle interventions.
Many people with obesity have difficulty maintaining and adhering to lifestyle interventions, leading to limited weight loss. Providing personalized energy expenditure data significantly improves weight loss outcomes in patients with obesity, according to research published in Clinical Obesity.
In a new study, Jonathan Z. M. Lim and colleagues compared the effectiveness of providing energy expenditure information to clinicians and patients in addition to the standard of care (SOC) versus SOC alone.
The Effectiveness of Energy Expenditure
The assessor-blinded, parallel-group, randomized, controlled, 24-week trial included 52 patients recruited from a specialist weight loss service. Patients were randomly assigned to an intervention group (n=25) or SOC group (n=27).
The intervention group received 4-week dietic counseling, using biofeedback from energy expenditure data to recommend caloric restriction and physical activity goals, in addition to SOC. The primary endpoint was the mean difference in body weight between both cohorts after the 24-week intervention. Secondary endpoints included patient acceptability and tolerability using indirect calorimetry.
Weight Loss Results
After 24 weeks, the intervention group lost an additional 2.3 kg body weight versus the SOC group (95% CI, −3.1 to −1.5; P<0.001) after adjusting for baseline BMI, age, and sex. The intervention group also saw reductions in waist circumference (−3.9 cm; 95% CI, −5.48 to −2.26; P<0.001) and body fat percentage (−1.5%; 95% CI, −2.31 to −0.72; P<0.001).
The respiratory quotient decreased, suggesting improved fat oxidation (−0.04). A greater proportion of the intervention group (42%) achieved the minimum clinically significant threshold of 5% weight loss from baseline body weight compared with the SOC group (42% and 8%, respectively, P=0.007), which is widely recognized as a meaningful threshold for significant health improvements.
Patients’ responses from the five-point Likert scale questionnaire indicated high levels of accountability and tolerability using the indirect calorimetry, with mean scores (4.5 ± 0.6 and 4.2 ± 0.7) in the intervention and SOC groups, respectively.
“The study demonstrated the potential for user biofeedback to offer personalized insights into an individual’s energy expenditure, which can be a powerful tool in behavior-based weight loss interventions,” concluded the researchers. “It also establishes the safety and practical application of tracking real-time energy expenditure from a portable IC [indirect calorimetry] promoting self-regulation.
