Endocrine Abstracts

Background & aims: it is now known that the benefits due to weight loss are therefore attenuated by the recovery of body weight. Two therapeutic options facilitate the maintenance of weight loss at a distance: very low caloric ketogenic diet (VLCKD) and medications; the recent literature also shows how much the recovery of weight loss is significantly lower in subjects treated with medications for obesity than in them who have taken a VLCKD or low calorie diet. The aim of this work is to describe the anthropometric characteristics of two samples of subjects, affected by obesity, treated with a VLCKD or GLP-1 agonists.

Material & Methods: The sample called "ketogenic diet group" (KD) is composed of 19 adult patients; the mean initial weight was 99.8 ± 20.3 kg and the mean initial BMI was 37.8 ± 6.4 kg/m². They received a VLCKD with natural foods (10) or with artificial meals (7) or artificial foods mixed with natural foods (2). The sample called "GLP-1 agonists group" (GLP-1) is composed of 19 adult patients; the mean initial weight was 106.1 ± 25.4 kg and the mean initial BMI was 38.7 ± 8.5 kg/m². They were treated with liraglutide (4) or semaglutide (12) or exenatide (3).

Results: The mean percentages of weight loss for the KD group and for the GLP-1 group at 2 months were 8.9% and 7.8%, at 3 months were 11% and 6.2% and at 6 months were 13.1% and 11.5%, respectively.

Conclusions: maintaining long-term weight loss is the big challenge for obesity experts. The results of the present work, despite the small number of subjects, have shown a similarity in percentage weight loss in both samples in the short-medium term (6 months). In order to observe the results reported in the most recent literature, the percentage weight loss must be observed after at least 1 year and in bigger samples. However, it is important to underline that a 5-10% weight loss leads to a reduction in the risk of developing diabetes and dyslipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, sleep apnoea, osteoarticular, gynecological and mood disorders.