Community‐based multidisciplinary weight management program in Mexico: Metabolic profile of patients at baseline

Abstract

BackgroundMultidisciplinary interventions for the management of obesity have become the most accepted model of treatment.ObjectiveTo determine the metabolic profile of patients attending a 6 month multidisciplinary weight management program at the National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition in Mexico City.Subjects and methods1216 obese patients who voluntarily entered a 6 month multidisciplinary weight management program (Feb. 2003 to Sept. 2007) were evaluated. Assessment at baseline included anthropometrical (BMI), clinical (blood pressure), and metabolic (glucose, lipid profile) measurements. Cardiometabolic abnormalities (diabetes mellitus, glucose =100mg/dL, triglycerides (TG) =150 mg/dL, cholesterol =200mg/dL, HDL <40/50mg/dL in males and females, LDL =100mg/dL, HOMA =5.13 and blood pressure (BP) =130/85mmHg) were assessed at baseline, and patients were considered "metabolically normal" with 0‐1 abnormalities.ResultsPatients were 38.8±11.7 years old with a BMI of 43.8±8.4; 896 (74%) were female; 62.9% of participants had BMI=40. Prevalence of diabetes was 27.6%. Abnormal values in glucose, TG, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, HOMA and BP were 41.3%, 52.7%, 33.2%, 87.5%, 71.1%, 45.9% and 62.3%, respectively. Only 91 patients (7.5%) were "metabolically normal".ConclusionsA high prevalence of metabolic abnormalities was found in the obese population attending the program. "Metabolically normal" subjects should be studied further.