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Observational studies indicate that weight loss has salutary effects on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Now, Finnish researchers have conducted a randomized trial to examine the effect of weight loss on mild OSA.
The trial involved 81 overweight adults (body-mass index, 28–40 kg/m2) with mild OSA (apnea-hypopnea index, 5–15 events/hour). The intervention group received individualized very-low-calorie diet products (600–800 calories daily) with lifestyle counseling for 12 weeks, followed by less-stringent low-fat diets; the control group received general dietary information.
At 12 months, mean weight loss was significantly greater in the intervention group than in the control group (10.7 kg vs. 2.4 kg). The mean apnea-hypopnea index declined fr…