Effect of intensive lifestyle intervention on the association between weight variability and major adverse cardiovascular events in overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Aims/introduction: Weight variability is associated with cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients. However, whether the guideline-recommended intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) will affect this association in overweight or obese adults with diabetes is not well established. Materials and Methods: In 3,859 participants from the Action for Health in Diabetes (Look AHEAD) trial, the associations of 4 year weight variability measured by variability independent of the mean (VIM) with major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE) and secondary outcomes in ILI and diabetes support & education (DSE) arm were evaluated. Results: During a median follow-up of 9.6 years, 255 (12.9%) participants in the ILI arm and 247 (13.2%) participants in the DSE arm developed MACE. Participants with the highest quartile of weight variability (VIM Q4) experienced a 2.23-fold higher risk of MACE compared with the lowest quartile (VIM Q1) in the DSE arm (hazard ratio [HR] 2.23; 95% CI 1.51–3.30). Compared with the lowest weight variability (VIM Q1), participants with the highest weight variability (VIM Q4) were associated with higher risks of secondary cardiovascular composite outcome (HR 1.88; 95% CI 1.20–2.95), all-cause mortality (HR 3.19; 95% CI 1.75–5.82), and myocardial infarction (HR 1.95; 95% CI 1.12–3.37) in the DSE arm. Conclusions: Among the overweight or obese individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus, rising weight variability was independently associated with increased MACE risks in the DSE arm. Therefore, a guideline-recommended ILI strategy for weight loss should be adopted to improve cardiovascular outcomes without worrying about the effect of weight fluctuations.