Effectiveness of Primary Care–Relevant Treatments for Obesity in Adults
Authors: Lewis H. Kuller
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2012)

Letters7 February 2012Effectiveness of Primary Care–Relevant Treatments for Obesity in AdultsLewis H. Kuller, MD, PhDLewis H. Kuller, MD, PhDFrom University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-156-3-201202070-00018 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) evidence review from LeBlanc and colleagues (1) paints a rosy but erroneous picture of weight loss intervention. Unfortunately, after 30 to 40 years of behavioral weight loss programs, the success of long-term weight loss is close to null. Successful weight loss is defined as persistent loss of at least 10% of body weight (2). Few long-term studies even reach the 5% loss that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration uses for evaluating drug efficacy. The article describes 6 studies of longer term weight loss but omits 3 recent major studies: ...References1. LeBlanc ES, O'Connor E, Whitlock EP, Patnode CD, Kapka T. Effectiveness of primary care-relevant treatments for obesity in adults: a systematic evidence review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Ann Intern Med. 2011;155:434-47. [PMID: 21969342] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Wing RR, Hill JO. Successful weight loss maintenance. Annu Rev Nutr. 2001;21:323-41. [PMID: 11375440] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Wing RR; Look AHEAD Research Group. Long-term effects of a lifestyle intervention on weight and cardiovascular risk factors in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus: four-year results of the Look AHEAD trial. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170:1566-75. [PMID: 20876408] MedlineGoogle Scholar4. Knowler WC, Fowler SE, Hamman RF, Christophi CA, Hoffman HJ, Brenneman AT, et al; Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. 10-year follow-up of diabetes incidence and weight loss in the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study. Lancet. 2009;374:1677-86. [PMID: 19878986] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Kuller LH, Pettee Gabriel KK, Kinzel LS, Underwood DA, Conroy MB, Chang Y, et al. The Women on the Move Through Activity and Nutrition (WOMAN) Study: final 48-month results. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2011;:. [PMID: 21494228] MedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoEffectiveness of Primary Care–Relevant Treatments for Obesity in Adults: A Systematic Evidence Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Erin S. LeBlanc , Elizabeth O'Connor , Evelyn P. Whitlock , Carrie D. Patnode , and Tanya Kapka Effectiveness of Primary Care–Relevant Treatments for Obesity in Adults Alan C. Moses , Yehuda Handelsman , and Daniel Einhorn Effectiveness of Primary Care–Relevant Treatments for Obesity in Adults Erin S. LeBlanc and Elizabeth O'Connor Metrics 7 February 2012Volume 156, Issue 3Page: 248KeywordsDiabetes preventionDrug administrationDrugsElderlyHypertensionNutritionObesityWeight gainWeight loss ePublished: 7 February 2012 Issue Published: 7 February 2012 CopyrightCopyright © 2012 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF DownloadLoading ...