Effect of a very low-energy diet on moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea: case reports

In this article, we report two cases from our study in which we investigated the effect of a very low-energy diet (VLED) for 9 weeks followed by a weight maintenance program for a total duration of 1 year in obese men with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea. The first case was a 43-year-old man with a body weight of 126 kg and a body mass index (BMI) of 38.8 kg/m(2) at baseline. Over the 1-year treatment program he lost 26% of his initial weight and his apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was improved by 60%. The second case was at baseline a 54-year-old man with a weight of 87 kg and BMI of 32.1 kg/m(2) . Over the 1-year treatment program he lost 10% of his initial weight and his AHI improved by 66%. In summary, treatment with a VLED followed by a weight maintenance program significantly improved obstructive sleep apnea in both cases.