Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress 2023 EHA Congress 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on sleep in brain health

LIVE: Thursday 2nd May 2024, 18:00-19:30 (CEST)

Quality sleep is essential for health. But what happens to our brains when sleep patterns are disturbed? Join our experts to explore the interplay between sleep disruption and neurological diseases, and the questions that you need to be asking your patients to help you prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Public Health
Published in: BMC Public Health 1/2016

Open Access 01-12-2016 | Research article

Direct comparisons of commercial weight-loss programs on weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure: a systematic review

Authors: Rachit M. Vakil, Ruchi S. Doshi, Ambereen K. Mehta, Zoobia W. Chaudhry, David K. Jacobs, Clare J. Lee, Sara N. Bleich, Jeanne M. Clark, Kimberly A. Gudzune

Published in: BMC Public Health | Issue 1/2016

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Obesity is common in the U.S. and many individuals turn to commercial programs to lose weight. Our objective was to directly compare weight loss, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) outcomes between commercially available weight-loss programs.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review by searching MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception to November 2014 and by using references identified by commercial programs. We included randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of at least 12 weeks duration that reported comparisons with other commercial weight-loss programs. Two reviewers extracted information on mean change in weight, waist circumference, SBP and DBP and assessed risk of bias.

Results

We included seven articles representing three RCTs. Curves participants lost 1.8 kg (95%CI: 0.1, 3.5 kg) more than Weight Watchers in one comparison. There was no statistically significant difference in waist circumference change among the included programs. The mean reduction in SBP for SlimFast participants was 4.5 mmHg (95%CI: 0.4, 8.6 mmHg) more than that of Atkins participants in one comparison. There was no significant difference in mean DBP changes among programs.

Conclusions

There is limited evidence that any one of the commercial weight-loss programs has superior results for mean weight change, mean waist circumference change, or mean blood pressure change.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
2.
Tchernof A, Després J-P. Pathophysiology of human visceral obesity: an update. Physiol Rev. 2013;93:359–404.CrossRefPubMed
3.
Wildman RP, Muntner P, Reynolds K, McGinn AP, Rajpathak S, Wylie-Rosett J, et al. The obese without cardiometabolic risk factor clustering and the normal weight with cardiometabolic risk factor clustering: prevalence and correlates of 2 phenotypes among the US population (NHANES 1999–2004). Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1617–24.CrossRefPubMed
4.
Klein S, Burke LE, Bray GA, Blair S, Allison DB, Pi-Sunyer X, et al. Clinical Implications of Obesity With Specific Focus on Cardiovascular Disease: A Statement for Professionals From the American Heart Association Council on Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Metabolism: Endorsed by the American College of Cardiology Foundation. Circulation. 2004;110:2952–67.CrossRefPubMed
5.
Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Fowler SE, Hamman RF, Lachin JM, Walker EA, et al. Reduction in the incidence of type 2 diabetes with lifestyle intervention or metformin. N Engl J Med. 2002;346:393–403.CrossRefPubMed
6.
Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apovian CM, Ard JD, Comuzzie AG, Donato KA, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2014;63:2985–3023.CrossRefPubMed
7.
8.
Gudzune KA, Doshi RS, Mehta AK, Chaudhry ZW, Jacobs DK, Vakil RM, et al. Efficacy of Commercial Weight-Loss Programs: An Updated Systematic Review. Ann Intern Med. 2015;162:501–12.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
9.
Tsai AG, Wadden TA. Systematic review: an evaluation of major commercial weight loss programs in the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2005;142:56–66.CrossRefPubMed
10.
Tsertsvadze A, Maglione M, Chou R, Garritty C, Coleman C, Lux L, et al. Updating comparative effectiveness reviews: current efforts in AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program. J Clin Epidemiol. 2011;64:1208–15.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Higgins JP, Altman DG, Gøtzsche PC, Jüni P, Moher D, Oxman AD, et al. The Cochrane Collaboration’s tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised trials. BMJ. 2011;343:d5928.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
12.
Dansinger ML, Gleason JA, Griffith JL, Selker HP, Schaefer EJ. Comparison of the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers, and Zone diets for weight loss and heart disease risk reduction: a randomized trial. JAMA. 2005;293:43–53.CrossRefPubMed
13.
Truby H, Baic S, deLooy A, Fox KR, Livingstone MB, Logan CM, et al. Randomised controlled trial of four commercial weight loss programmes in the UK: initial findings from the BBC “diet trials”. BMJ. 2006;332:1309–14.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
14.
Morgan LM, Griffin BA, Millward DJ, DeLooy A, Fox KR, Baic S, et al. Comparison of the effects of four commercially available weight-loss programmes on lipid-based cardiovascular risk factors. Public Health Nutr. 2009;12:799–807.CrossRefPubMed
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Johnston BC, Kanters S, Bandayrel K, Wu P, Naji F, Siemieniuk RA, et al. Comparison of weight loss among named diet programs in overweight and obese adults: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2014;312:923–33.CrossRefPubMed
20.
Levy AS, Heaton AW. Weight control practices of U.S. adults trying to lose weight. Ann Intern Med. 1993;119:661–6.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Kruger J, Galuska DA, Serdula MK, Jones DA. Attempting to lose weight: specific practices among U.S. adults. Am J Prev Med. 2004;26:402–6.CrossRefPubMed
22.
23.
Bloom B, Mehta AK, Clark JM, Gudzune KA. Guideline-concordant weight-loss programs in an urban area are uncommon and difficult to identify through the internet. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2016;24:583–8.CrossRef
24.
Mitchell NS, Ellison MC, Hill JO, Tsai AG. Evaluation of the effectiveness of making Weight Watchers available to Tennessee Medic- aid (TennCare) recipients. J Gen Intern Med. 2013;28:12–7.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
25.
Poti JM, Mendez MA, Ng SW, Popkin BM. Is the degree of food processing and convenience linked with the nutritional quality of foods purchased by US households? Am J Clin Nutr. 2015;101:1251–62.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Direct comparisons of commercial weight-loss programs on weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure: a systematic review
Authors
Rachit M. Vakil
Ruchi S. Doshi
Ambereen K. Mehta
Zoobia W. Chaudhry
David K. Jacobs
Clare J. Lee
Sara N. Bleich
Jeanne M. Clark
Kimberly A. Gudzune
Publication date
01-12-2016
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Public Health / Issue 1/2016
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2458
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-016-3112-z

Other articles of this Issue 1/2016

BMC Public Health 1/2016 Go to the issue

Research article

National evaluation of strategies to reduce safety violations for working from heights in construction companies: results from a randomized controlled trial

Research article

Assessing contraband tobacco in two jurisdictions: a direct collection of cigarette butts

Research article

Condom use and incarceration among STI clinic attendees in the Deep South

Research article

Risky and rushed public crack cocaine smoking: the potential for supervised inhalation facilities

Research article

Tuberculosis patients’ pre-hospital delay and non-compliance with a longstanding DOT programme: a mixed methods study in urban Zambia

Debate

Obsolete tobacco control themes can be hazardous to public health: the need for updating views on absolute product risks and harm reduction