Obesity increases the risk of metabolic conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. While losing weight improves metabolic health, the question remains if there is a minimum weight loss (WL) associated with clinically meaningful improvements in cardiometabolic health markers. Virta Health is a telemedicine clinic offering carbohydrate-restricted nutrition therapy (CRNT) via continuous remote care for patients including those with prediabetes (preD). This retrospective analysis examined the cardiometabolic outcomes of preD patients in five WL categories after 1 year on CRNT using eight linear mixed effect models. A random sample of 250 individuals was used to compare each WL cohort (<5%, 5-9%, 10-14%, 15-19%, ≥20%). Metabolic markers assessed were HbA1c, total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, HDL-C, TG, ALT, AST, and ALP. Characteristics of WL cohorts combined were 51.7 ± 9.4 years, BMI 37 ± 7.4 kg/m2, 234.9 ± 54.7 lbs, HbA1c 5.8 ± 0.3%, and 65% female. Overall, all cardiometabolic markers improved over time. All markers except TC and LDL-C improved more with greater WL. LDL-C increased (but was still within normal range) with more WL and TC did not differ by WL group. Although greater WL was associated with greater improvements in metabolic health markers, 5% WL produced clinically meaningful improvements in TG and HDL-C in the preD population on CRNT.
A.R. Zoller: Employee; Virta Health Corp. Stock/Shareholder; Virta Health Corp. R.N. Adams: Employee; Virta Health Corp. Stock/Shareholder; Virta Health Corp. S.J. Athinarayanan: Employee; Virta Health Corp. C.G.P. Roberts: Other Relationship; Virta Health Corp. B.M. Volk: Employee; Virta Health Corp. Stock/Shareholder; Virta Health Corp. A.L. McKenzie: Employee; Virta Health Corp. Stock/Shareholder; Virta Health Corp. Employee; Abbott.
