The American journal of medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
The long-term effectiveness of a lifestyle intervention in severely obese individuals.
Severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥40 kg/m(2)) is a serious public health concern. Although bariatric surgery is an efficacious treatment approach, it is limited in reach; thus, nonsurgical treatment alternatives are needed. We examined the 4-year effects of an intensive lifestyle intervention on body weight and cardiovascular disease risk factors among severely obese, compared with overweight (25 ≤BMI <30), class I (30 ≤BMI <35), and class II obese (35 ≤BMI <40) participants. ⋯ Lifestyle interventions can result in important long-term weight losses and improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors among a significant proportion of severely obese individuals.