Hyderabad: ICMR-NIN Review Finds Diet, Exercise Help Sustain Weight Loss
Physical activity alone had the largest effect on systolic blood pressure, reducing it by about 6.10 mmHg at six to 12 months.
Hyderabad: Combining diet with physical activity can help people with overweight or obesity sustain a weight loss of about 3.68 kg beyond 12 months, while low‑calorie diets alone offer greater short‑term reduction, according to an umbrella review by the ICMR‑National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR‑NIN), Hyderabad.
The review, published in Obesity Pillars, analysed evidence from 112 systematic reviews and meta‑analyses covering 2,332 randomised controlled trials and 5,07,460 participant‑observations from more than 50 countries.
Researchers compared dietary, physical activity, lifestyle and combined interventions among adults with overweight or obesity.
All non‑pharmacological approaches were associated with statistically significant, though modest, reductions in body weight and BMI.
Low‑calorie diets alone produced the largest short‑term reduction, averaging 2.64 kg in the first three months. Physical activity alone yielded smaller initial reductions but showed greater effect with longer follow‑up.
The review found that combining diet and physical activity also improved blood sugar control, with reductions in fasting glucose and insulin resistance beyond 12 months. Physical activity alone had the largest effect on systolic blood pressure, reducing it by about 6.10 mmHg at six to 12 months. Intermittent fasting produced the largest short‑term reduction in diastolic pressure but was not sustained beyond a year.
Lifestyle interventions involving counselling, self‑monitoring, goal‑setting and health education showed benefits that increased with longer follow‑up.
ICMR‑NIN director Bharati Kulkarni said the findings supported an integrated approach to obesity management. Lead researcher Mahesh Kumar Mummadi noted that most studies came from high‑income countries, with limited evidence from India and other lower‑middle‑income nations.
The researchers said lifestyle interventions improved cardiometabolic health beyond weight loss, with benefits partly independent of the amount of weight reduced.
