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ARS Home » Plains Area » Grand Forks, North Dakota » Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center » Healthy Body Weight Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #307693

Title: Impact of weight loss on ankle-brachial index and interartery blood pressures

Author
item Raatz, Susan

Submitted to: Obesity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/24/2013
Publication Date: 4/1/2014
Citation: Raatz, S.K. 2014. Impact of weight loss on ankle-brachial index and interartery blood pressures. Obesity. 22(4):1032-1041.

Interpretive Summary: To assess whether weight loss improves markers of peripheral artery disease and vascular stenosis participants in the Action for Health in Diabetes trial in either intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) or diabetes support and education (DSE) in overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes were studied over 4 years. Annual ankle and brachial blood pressures were used to compute ankle-brachial indices (ABIs) and to assess interartery blood pressure differences in 5018 participants. ILI, compared to DSE, produced 7.8% (Year 1) to 3.6% (Year 4) greater weight losses. These did not affect prevalence of low or elevated ABI but resulted in smaller maximum interartery systolic blood pressure differences among ankle and arms. Four years of intensive behavioral weight loss intervention did not significantly alter prevalence of abnormal ABI, however, it did reduce differences in systolic blood pressures among arterial sites.

Technical Abstract: Objective: To assess whether weight loss improves markers of peripheral artery disease and vascular stenosis. Methods: The Action for Health in Diabetes randomized clinical trial compared intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) for weight loss to a control condition of diabetes support and education (DSE) in overweight or obese adults with type 2 diabetes. Annual ankle and brachial blood pressures over four years were used to compute ankle-brachial indices (ABIs) and to assess interartery blood pressure differences in 5018 participants. Results: ILI, compared to DSE, produced 7.8% (Year 1) to 3.6% (Year 4) greater weight losses. These did not affect prevalence of low (<0.90) ABI (3.60% in DSE versus 3.14% in ILI; P 5 0.20) or elevated (>1.40) ABI (7.52% in DSE versus 7.59% in ILI: P 5 0.90), but produced smaller mean (SE) maximum interartery systolic blood pressure differences among ankle sites [19.7 (0.2) mmHg for ILI versus 20.6 (0.2) mmHg for DSE (P < 0.001)] and between arms [5.8 (0.1) mmHg for ILI versus 6.1 (0.1) mmHg for DSE (P 5 0.01)]. Conclusions: Four years of intensive behavioral weight loss intervention did not significantly alter prevalence of abnormal ABI, however, it did reduce differences in systolic blood pressures among arterial sites.