Commentary: Ineffectiveness of Commercial Weight-Loss Programs for Achieving Modest but Meaningful Weight Loss: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

[摘要] This commentary refers to a review and meta-analysis investigating weight loss achievements in healthy adults, either overweight or obese, who accessed a commercial weight loss programme (CWLP) (1). This commentary considers how the data has been presented and interpreted, especially given the fact that the 2013 Australian guidelines are very clear that even small amounts of weight loss bring health benefits to individuals with overweight or obesity (2). In addition, the UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2014 guidelines have perhaps been misinterpreted. The NICE guidelines stated that, for people who are overweight or obese, “the more weight people lose, the greater the health benefits, particularly if someone loses more than 5% of their body weight and maintains this for life” and “weight management programmes can be commissioned if they are likely to lead to an average weight loss of at least 3%, with at least 30% of participants losing >5% of their initial weight” (3). Yet, this review (1) infers CWLPs to be ineffective if participants lost <5% of their initial weight.

[学科分类] 卫生学

[关键词] 5% weight loss;effectiveness;obesity;health benefits;commercial weight loss programmes