Correlates of weight loss in persons with metabolic syndrome

To identify correlates of weight loss in persons with metabolic syndrome.

Overweight adults (1851) with metabolic syndrome were identified among 5643 eligible participants in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1999-2004. Survey analysis techniques were used to study variation in the frequency of self-reported, intentional weight loss (> or =10 lb in the past year) relative to 28 survey variables representing characteristics in seven domains: demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, health status, metabolic risk factor, health advice, and disease diagnosis.

An estimated 34.8% (SE=0.9) of U.S. adults had metabolic syndrome during the 1999-2004 period, and among them, 88.4% (0.8) were overweight. The overall frequency of weight loss was 14.9% (0.9), but multivariate analysis confirmed significantly higher frequencies in persons who had BMI between 35.0 and 39.9 kg/m(2) [24.5% (2.8)], who were informed of overweight status by a health professional [19.4% (1.6)], who were advised to lose weight for hypertension [23.2% (1.9)], or who were diagnosed with diabetes [26.4% (3.2)].

In metabolic syndrome, the frequency of weight loss may be enhanced when patients understand the reality and degree of their overweight status, are advised by a health professional about the need to lose weight, and/or appreciate connections between excess weight and other co-morbidities.