Factors alleviating metabolic syndrome via diet-induced weight loss with or without exercise in overweight Japanese women

Abstract Objective Although a 5%–10% loss in the baseline weight has been associated with improvement in obesity-related disorders, only a few studies have explored the factors to alleviate metabolic syndrome (MS). This study aimed to determine the factors that alter MS components in overweight Japanese women. Methods Between 1999 and 2006, 323 Japanese women aged 24–67 with body mass indices of 25–40 kg/m2 and the presence of at least 1 component of MS were recruited from Ibaraki and Chiba. The participants were enrolled in a 3-month weight-loss program with a low-calorie diet with or without exercise. The factors to alleviate MS components were explored using classification and regression tree (CART) analyses. Results Of the 323 participants, 309 completed the weight-loss program and were included in the analyses. The CART analyses revealed that a weight reduction of 8.1% in baseline body weight was sufficient to improve at least 1 component of MS. Similarly, classification trees were generated for improvement in abdominal obesity (essential factor: ≥ 13.0% weight loss), hypertension (essential factor: baseline age, ≤ 41.5 years), and hyperglycemia (essential factor: ≥ 13.2% weight loss). Conclusion These results suggest that moderate weight loss of 8%–13% contributes to improving the MS components in overweight Japanese women.