Effect of weight loss through dietary interventions on cardiometabolic health in older adults.

Background: With the increasing prevalence of obesity and its negative consequences on health, weight management emerges as a priority for public health, especially in older adults, in whom obesity is linked to increased risks of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. We performed a study investigating the association of intentional weight loss through dietary intervention on cardiometabolic health among older adults participating in the MIND trial.

Methods: The MIND trial enrolled overweight individuals aged 65-84 who self-reported a suboptimal diet. Participants were randomized to the MIND or a control diet for 3 years; both diets promoted weight loss through mild caloric restriction (250 kcal). Of 604 individuals enrolled in the trial, 518 were included in the analysis. We calculated the percentage of weight loss based on measured weight at the baseline and year 3 and categorized individuals into four groups: no weight loss (e.g., weight gain), <5%, 5-10%, and >10% weight loss. Cardiometabolic health included traditional lipid biomarkers, biomarkers of inflammation, and glycosylated hemoglobin. Linear mixed-effect models were used to evaluate the associations of weight loss with cardiometabolic health.

Results: At the baseline, mean age was 70 (SD = 4.1) years, 332 (65%) were women, and BMI was 33.8 (SD = 5.9) kg/m2. Compared to people who did not lose weight, those with >10% weight loss significantly improved their biomarkers of cardiometabolic health at the year 3 visit as follows: LDL cholesterol levels decreased by 8.3%, triglycerides by 28.2%, and HDL increased by 12.4%. As for biomarkers of inflammation, GlycA decreased by 7.5%, hs-IL6 by 33.0%, hs-CRP by 59.4%, and adiponectin increased by 53.7%. These improvements in biomarkers of cardiometabolic health did not differ by dietary intervention.

Conclusion: Weight loss through dietary interventions with mild calorie restriction resulted in favorable changes in cardiometabolic risk factors among older adults with overweight and obesity.

Clinical trial registration number: NCT02817074.