Introduction: Obesity is linked to multiple comorbid conditions such as hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease; digestive disorders associated with obesity include gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms, erosive esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus, cholelithiasis, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cirrhosis, precancerous colon polyps and cancers. The aim of this study is to report changes in clinical and metabolic parameters for patients who underwent an intensive medical weight management program (IMWMP). Methods: Our IMWMP involved visits every two to four weeks with medical providers, a low carbohydrate diet with individualized goal carbohydrates often fewer than 100 g per day, encouraging physical activity, pharmacotherapy for some patients and surveillance every three months with bioelectrical impedance analyzer (BIA). The goal of IMWMP was to help patients lose 10% or more weight. We retrospectively chart reviewed the first 225 patients enrolled in our IMWMP starting in 2015; only patients who had three or more visits with medical providers were included. Analyzed clinical and metabolic parameters included blood pressure, pulse, hemoglobin A1C (HgbA1C), liver chemistries AST and ALT, lipids and CRP (Table 1). BIA data is reported only on patients who had at least two BIA studies and included body weight, body mass index, skeletal muscle mass, visceral adipose tissue and others (Table 2). All comparisons are between baseline and most recent values. Results: 160 patients met inclusion criteria, of which 78 were active enrollees. The mean weight at the time of joining IMWMP and most recent office visit were 238.8 lbs and 214.6 lbs, respectively, for a mean weight loss of 24.2 lbs (-10.13%). Changes in blood pressure, pulse and HgbA1C were minimal (Table 1). AST and ALT decreased by mean of 24.18% and 28.89%, respectively (Table 1). On average, triglycerides decreased by 17.3% and HDL increased by 16.26%. BIA analysis is reported on 125 patients; it showed a mean decrease in fat mass of 12.42%, decrease in visceral adipose tissue of 16.88% and decrease in skeletal muscle mass of 5.14% (Table 2). Conclusion: Our IMWMP led to improvements in many clinical and metabolic parameters. Decrease in liver chemistries with associated weight loss highlights the importance of weight loss in managing NAFLD. Patients in weight loss programs are prone to sarcopenia and our use of BIA in providing dietary recommendations minimized the loss of skeletal muscle mass.1041_A Figure 1. compares mean clinical and metabolic parameters between baseline and after intervention.1041_B Figure 2. compares mean bioelectric impedance analyzer data between baseline and after intervention.
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