Associations of Weight Change With Changes in Calf Muscle Characteristics and Functional Decline in Peripheral Artery Disease

Background Among people with lower extremity peripheral artery disease, obesity is associated with faster functional decline than normal weight. The association of weight loss with functional decline in peripheral artery disease is unknown. Methods and Results Adults with an ankle‐brachial index 2 . Over 3.23±1.37 years, muscle area declined more in adults with intentional weight loss versus stable or gain (pair‐wise comparisons, P P =0.003). Conclusions Despite a greater loss of calf muscle area, adults with peripheral artery disease who intentionally lost ≥5 pounds experienced less functional decline than those who gained weight. A randomized trial is needed to establish whether benefits of weight loss in peripheral artery disease outweigh potential adverse effects.