Plain language summary
Obesity is one of the most important public health issues, and its incidence is increasing worldwide. Conventional treatments, such as diet therapy, regular physical activity and behavioural modification, are important and essential for managing obesity. However, bariatric surgery is the most effective weight loss intervention. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate diet with that of a calorie-restricted diet when used in combination with intragastric balloon (IGB) therapy. This study is a randomised single-centred study which was conducted on 51 patients who had undergone IGB therapy. Participants were randomly assigned to either a low-carbohydrate diet or a conventional calorie-restricted diet in combination with IGB therapy. Results show that at 12 months after IGB placement, the body weight and body mass index were significantly lower than those observed at baseline in both groups. In fact, there were no significant differences in the body weight or body mass index outcomes between the two groups. Authors conclude that both a low-carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted diet are effective interventions for weight management in combination with IGB therapy.
Abstract
Objective Intragastric balloon (IGB) therapy is a low-invasion treatment for obesity. Recently, a low-carbohydrate diet has shown effectiveness for encouraging weight loss, but whether or not a low-carbohydrate diet improves the efficacy of IGB therapy remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the effectiveness of a low-carbohydrate diet compared with a calorie-restricted diet in combination with IGB therapy. Methods A prospective study was conducted on 51 patients who had undergone IGB therapy from October 2012 to December 2017. Overall, 31 of the 51 patients were included in this study (12-month assessment after IGB placement). These 31 cases consisted of 18 IGB plus low-carbohydrate diet and 13 IGB plus calorie-restricted diet. We compared the two groups with respect to body weight loss as outcomes. Results At 12 months after IGB placement, the body weight was significantly lower than that observed at baseline in both the IGB plus low-carbohydrate diet group (baseline 101.9±25.8 kg, 12 months 88.2±21.9 kg) (p<0.0001) and the IGB plus calorie-restricted diet group (baseline 103.5±17.0 kg, 12 months 89.1±6.2 kg) (p<0.005). The percentage of excess weight loss in the IGB plus low-carbohydrate diet group was slightly higher than that in the IGB plus calorie-restricted diet group, but there was no significant difference between the 2 groups at 12 months after IGB placement (IGB plus low-carbohydrate 49.9±60.0%, IGB plus calorie-restricted diet 33.1±27.0%). Conclusion Our study demonstrated that both a low-carbohydrate diet and a calorie-restricted diet were effective interventions for weight reduction in combination with IGB therapy.
Methodological quality
Jadad score
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3
Allocation concealment
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Yes
