Diet-induced weight loss improves not only cardiometabolic risk markers but also markers of vascular function: a randomized controlled trial in abdominally obese men

Background: Many trials assessing effects of dietary weight loss on vascular function have been performed without no weight loss control groups and in individuals with obesity-related morbidities. Usually a limited set of vascular function markers has been investigated.Objective: The objective of this study was to examine effects of diet-induced weight loss on various vascular function markers and differences between normal-weight and abdominally obese men at baseline and after weight reduction.Design: Twenty-five healthy, normal-weight men (waist circumference:Results: Compared with the control group, FMD did not change in the weight-loss group, but carotid-to-femoral pulse wave velocity tended to decrease by 0.5 m/s (P = 0.065). The retinal arteriolar caliber increased by 5 mu m (P <0.001) and the arteriolar-to-venular ratio by 0.02 (P <0.01). Soluble endothelial selectin and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule concentrations decreased (P <0.001). Also, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, triacylglycerol, glucose, insulin, C-peptide, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, and blood pressure improved (P <0.05 for all variables). Except for FMD, these markers differed at baseline between normal-weight and abdominally obese men but became comparable after weight loss.Conclusions: In abdominally obese men, dietary weight loss targeting a waist circumference of