Limited Weight Loss or Simply No Weight Gain following Lifestyle-Only Intervention Tends to Redistribute Body Fat, to Decrease Lipid Concentrations, and to Improve Parameters of Insulin Sensitivity in Obese Children

Objectives. To investigate whether lifestyle-only intervention in obese children who maintain or lose a modest amount of weight redistributes parameters of body composition and reverses metabolic abnormalities. Study Design. Clinical, anthropometric, and metabolic parameters were assessed in 111 overweight or obese children (CA of 11.3 ± 2.8 years; 63 females and 48 males), during 8 months of lifestyle intervention. Patients maintained or lost weight (1–5%) (group A; n: 72) or gained weight (group B). Results. Group A patients presented with a decrease in systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ([Image: see text] and [Image: see text], resp.), BMI ([Image: see text]), z-score BMI ([Image: see text]), waist circumference ([Image: see text]), fat mass ([Image: see text]), LDL-C ([Image: see text]), Tg/HDL-C ratio ([Image: see text]), fasting and postprandial insulin ([Image: see text]), and HOMA ([Image: see text]), while HDL-C ([Image: see text]) and QUICKI increased ([Image: see text]). Conversely, group B patients had an increase in BMI ([Image: see text]), waist circumference ([Image: see text]), SBP ([Image: see text]), and in QUICKI ([Image: see text]), while fat mass ([Image: see text]), fasting insulin ([Image: see text]), and HOMA ([Image: see text]) decreased. Lean mass, DBP, lipid concentrations, fasting and postprandial glucose, postprandial insulin, and ultrasensitive C-reactive protein (CRP) remained stable. Conclusions. Obese children who maintain or lose a modest amount of weight following lifestyle-only intervention tend to redistribute their body fat, decrease blood pressure and lipid levels, and to improve parameters of insulin sensitivity.