Effect of weight loss and regain on adipose tissue distribution, composition of lean mass and resting energy expenditure in young overweight and obese adults

• Published in: International Journal of Obesity Vol. 37; no. 10; pp. 1371 - 1377
• Main Authors: Bosy-Westphal, A, Schautz, B, Lagerpusch, M, Pourhassan, M, Braun, W, Goele, K, Heller, M, Glüer, C-C, Müller, M J
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01.10.2013; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/443/319/333/1465; 692/699/2743/393; 692/700/565; Adipose tissue; Adipose Tissue - pathology; Adipose tissues; Adult; Basal Metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Body composition; Body fat; Body Fat Distribution; Body Mass Index; Body weight; Caloric Restriction; Densitometry; Diet; Energy Metabolism; Epidemiology; Extremities; Female; Germany - epidemiology; Health aspects; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Humans; Internal Medicine; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Metabolism; Middle Aged; Musculoskeletal system; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity - diet therapy; Obesity - epidemiology; Obesity - pathology; Older people; original-article; Overweight; Physiological aspects; Public Health; Recurrence; Rest; Sex Distribution; Thermogenesis; Thermogenesis - physiology; Weight control; Weight Gain; Weight Loss; Women; Germany; resting energy expenditure; body fat distribution; weight loss; visceral fat; weight regain; Human; Visceral fat; Obesity; Composition; Adipose tissue; Nutrition; Body weight; Nutrition disorder; Weight loss; Metabolic diseases; Corporal biometry; Fat mass; Overweight; Energetic cost; Young adult; Distribution; Lean body mass; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 0307-0565; 1476-5497; 1476-5497
• DOI: 10.1038/ijo.2013.1

Background: Although weight cycling is frequent in obese patients, the adverse consequences on body composition and an increased propensity to weight gain remain controversial. Objective: We investigated the effect of intentional weight loss and spontaneous regain on fat distribution, the composition of lean mass and resting energy expenditure (REE). Design: Weight regainers (⩾30% of loss, n =27) and weight-stable subjects (within <±20% of weight change, n =20) were selected from 103 overweight and obese subjects (body mass index 28–43 kg m −2 , 24–45 years) who passed a 13-week low-calorie diet intervention. REE and body composition (by densitometry and whole-body magnetic resonance imaging) were examined at baseline, after weight loss and at 6 months of follow-up. Results: Mean weight loss was −12.3±3.3 kg in weight-stable subjects and −9.0±4.3 kg in weight regainers ( P <0.01). Weight regain was incomplete, accounting for 83 and 42% of weight loss in women and men. Regain in total fat and different adipose tissue depots was in proportion to weight regain except for a higher regain in adipose tissue of the extremities in women and a lower regain in extremity and visceral adipose tissue in men. In both genders, regain in skeletal muscle of the trunk lagged behind skeletal muscle regain at the extremities. In contrast to weight-stable subjects, weight regainers showed a reduced REE adjusted for changes in organ and tissue masses after weight loss ( P <0.001). Conclusion: Weight regain did not adversely affect body fat distribution. Weight loss-associated adaptations in REE may impair weight loss and contribute to weight regain.