ESPE Abstracts

Aim: to assess and follow-up anthropometric and biochemical parameters in patients with abdominal obesity after a lifestyle intervention.

Patients, Material and Methods: 122 children and adolescents with abdominal obesity, aged 7 to 16 years, were included in a control randomized intervention study (NCT031472). Abdominal obesity was diagnosed using the waist circumference. The intervention included an intensive phase during 2 months and follow-up at 12 and 24 months. Participants were divided in two groups: intervention and usual care. Intervention group was treated with hypocaloric Mediterranean diet and the usual care group with the standard recommendations from Community Nutrition Spanish Society, 2007. Both groups were advised to increase in 200 minutes per week their moderate-vigorous physical activity. Anthropometric parameters measured were: weight, height, body mass index (BMI), waist, and hip circumferences, fat mass and fat-free mass. Biochemical parameters determined were: glucose, insulin, leptin, cholesterol and triglycerides.

Results: at onset, most of anthropometric and biochemical parameters were similar in both groups, except for glucose and leptin. Usual care group (n=30) had higher both glucose and leptin levels, than intervention group (n=84). The decrease in both BMI-SDS and waist to hip ratio (WHR) was statistically significant at 2, 12 and 24 months in both groups. In the intervention group, fat mass percentage significantly decreased, at 2, 12 and 24 months; and at 2 and 12 months in the usual care group. Lean mass (Kg) significantly increased at 12 months. Glucose levels significantly decreased at 2 months in both groups. Insulin levels significantly decreased in the intervention group at 2 and 12 months. HOMA index significantly improved in the intervention group, at 2 and 12 months. Leptin levels significantly decreased in both groups at 2 months. Later on, leptin levels significantly increased at 12 months, in the usual care group. There were not statistically significant differences in leptin level changes between groups. Total cholesterol, LDL/HDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides decreased significantly at 24 months follow-up.

Conclusions: in this intervention study, BMI-SDS, body composition improved significantly, likewise glucose, insulin, leptin and lipids levels. All these favourable metabolic changes persisted at 12 and 24 months follow-up, in both groups, without finding relevant differences between them. Therefore, a more intensive therapy does not seem to be more effective, than the usual intervention, in this group of patients.