Exercise Reduces Artery Hardening Post-Weight Loss in Obese Adults
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Exercise Beats Drug for Preventing Atherosclerosis in Obesity,Study Finds
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Maintaining weight loss with regular exercise, rather than the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) liraglutide – a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity – appears to reduce atherosclerosis development in adults with obesity, a leading underlying cause of cardiovascular disease.
The study, involving adults with obesity but not diabetes, was conducted by researchers from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and presented at this year’s Annual Meeting of The European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Vienna (September 15-19).
“Our findings reveal that regular exercise is crucial to helping people living with obesity get the full cardiovascular benefits after a considerable weight loss.”
Dr. Rasmus Sandsdal, Study Lead Author, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Understanding Atherosclerosis and obesity
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and frequently enough originates in atherosclerosis. This chronic condition involves inflammation and fat deposits that cause arteries to harden and narrow. Over time, plaques can rupture, leading to serious complications such as heart attacks and strokes.
Obesity causes chronic low-grade inflammation, which can lead to endothelial dysfunction – a condition where blood vessels lose their ability to contract and relax properly – and the development of atherosclerosis.
Both exercise and GLP-1RAs have been shown to reduce the obesity-associated risk of cardiovascular events like heart failure and heart attacks. Though, little was known about their specific impact on atherosclerosis development *during* weight loss maintenance.
The Study Design: A Randomized Controlled Trial
To investigate this further, Danish researchers conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving 215 adults (aged 18-65 years; 63% female) with obesity (BMI 32-43 kg/m2) who did not have diabetes or other serious chronic diseases at the start of the trial.
The study was structured in two phases:
- Initial Weight Loss Phase: participants followed a low-calorie diet of 800 kcal per day (cambridge Weight Plan) for 8 weeks.
- Weight Maintenance Phase: Of the 195 participants who lost at least 5% of their body weight (an average reduction of 12%/13.1 kg),they were randomly assigned for one year to one of four weight maintenance strategies:
- Moderate-to-vigorous-intensity exercise 150 min/week + placebo
- Treatment with liraglutide (3.0 mg per day)
- Combination of exercise 150 min/week and liraglutide
- Placebo
Key Findings and Analysis
The researchers measured blood levels of inflammatory biomarkers, including interleukin-6