Exploratory Machine Learning Methods to Assess a Novel Individualized Lifestyle Intervention on Weight and Body...

Area of Science:

• Bariatric surgery and weight management interventions.
• Medical devices for obesity treatment.
• Body composition analysis and metabolic health.

Background:

• Obesity is a significant global health concern requiring effective management strategies.
• Lifestyle interventions (LI) are foundational for weight loss but can be enhanced.
• The Allurion™ swallowable intragastric balloon (SIGB) offers a less invasive option for weight management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of an individualized lifestyle intervention (LI) on body composition (BC).
• To compare the efficacy of LI alone versus LI combined with the Allurion™ swallowable intragastric balloon (SIGB).
• To assess changes in total body weight loss (TBWL), fat mass loss (FML), muscle mass loss (MML), and visceral fat loss (VFL).

Main Methods:

• A case-controlled study involving 1,143 patients with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m² over 36 weeks.
• Two groups: LI alone (n=876) and LI + SIGB (n=267).
• LI included personalized nutrition, exercise goals, and telehealth; SIGB was self-contained and passed naturally around 16 weeks. Body composition assessed via bioimpedance.

Main Results:

• The LI + SIGB group showed significantly higher mean %TBWL (16.11% vs. 10.22%), %FML (27.64% vs. 15.34%), and %VFL (17.60% vs. 13.80%) at 16 weeks (p < 0.001).
• %MML was higher in the LI + SIGB group (6.57% vs. 3.55%), but FML rate was more than double MML rate in both groups.
• A greater proportion of LI + SIGB patients achieved >5%, >10%, and >20% TBWL thresholds at 16 weeks (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The SIGB significantly enhances TBWL, FML, and VFL when adjunct to LI.
• While MML increased with SIGB, favorable body composition changes were observed due to higher FML.
• SIGB is a safe and effective tool for accelerating early weight and fat loss in conjunction with a comprehensive lifestyle program.