Nestlé Health Science-backed study finds heart health and weight benefits of clinical program

19 Dec 2023 --- A clinical trial funded by Nestlé Health Science reveals that the company’s Optifast meal replacement program led to more significant reductions in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and projected cardiovascular disease risk than a low-calorie diet plan.

Available at US weight loss clinics, the program uses a meal replacement plan, combined with education and support, to help people transition to self-prepared daily meals. 

“The results show that with the use of the Optifast meal replacement program, there was not only weight loss but other significant benefits — specifically on improving cardiovascular risk factors like blood pressure and lipids, and overall cardiovascular risk,” senior author Dr. Odd Eric Johansen, global clinical development lead at Nestlé Health Science, tells Nutrition Insight. 

“These are important considerations for people living with obesity. The magnitude of effect on these risk factors was substantial, particularly in people at higher risk when starting the program where they were comparable to those effects seen with newer glucagon-like peptide-1 based medications for weight reduction.”

Clinical support 
The Optifast weight-management program is designed for people with a body mass index (BMI) of over 30. Medical staff supervise participants and monitor and assess progress toward better health and emotional well-being. 

The research published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism is based on a secondary analysis of the year-long OPTIWIN study — a randomized, controlled clinical trial with 273 US adults with a BMI of over 30. All participants recorded their daily food intake and exercise. 

Participants who followed the Optifast meal replacement program experienced double-digit weight loss.Johansen highlights that the clinical trial provides “a new insight and underscores the efficacy and potency of the Optifast meal replacement program, which offers a comprehensive and fully nutritional solution with high-quality proteins.” 

“The first step is to communicate these results and share them with healthcare professionals, who may consider using these results in their management strategies, as part of shared decision-making with their patients living with obesity and looking for weight loss solutions.” 

Dietary interventions 
The trial participants were split into two groups, either following a low-calorie food-based dietary plan or the Optifast program — entirely for the first 26 weeks and partially for the other half of the study. 

People in the Optifast program mainly received daily meal replacement products in the first half of the study, while participants with a higher BMI received additional foods. After 12 weeks, the researchers gradually re-introduced foods. 

The control group followed a modified version of the Diabetes Prevention Program, which prescribed reducing diet by 500-750 kcal under the estimated total energy expenditure.

After week 26, the researchers increased both groups’ calories to achieve weight stability. 

Both groups also received behavioral counseling sessions and prescriptions for weekly physical activity — targeting 150-180 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise. 

Double-digit weight loss
Participants who followed the Optifast meal replacement program experienced double-digit weight loss — losing an average of 12.4% of their total body weight halfway through the program. At the end of the program, they maintained a 10.5% weight loss. 

To compare, people following a low-calorie food-based diet plan lost 6% by week 26 and 5.5% by week 52. 

Food diary data indicate that people in the Optifast group consumed more of their daily calories from protein — which is crucial in preserving lean muscle mass during weight loss. The researchers found no significant differences between the groups regarding physical activity. 

The study suggests that a treatment regimen with meal replacement products rich in high-quality proteins and appropriate amounts of other micro- and macronutrients may benefit several pathways involved in dyslipidemia and hypertension independent of the weight reduction effects. 

Recently, Nestlé shared its plans to develop products that could go hand-in-hand with a novel category of weight-loss medications. 

In the Optifast weight management program, medical staff supervise participants and monitor and assess progress.Cardiovascular health benefits 
Additionally, the new analyses indicate that the Optifast program led to more significant improvements in LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride levels compared to the control group. 

Participants in the Optifast group also reduced their blood pressure to a greater degree without increasing their heart rate. Halfway through the trial, a larger proportion of these participants achieved a blood pressure under the threshold for hypertension, though these effects were not significant by week 52. 

The positive cardiovascular health benefits of the Optifast program were most pronounced in people at the highest disease risk — people 60 or older and who had elevated systolic blood pressure at the start of the study. 

Hans-Juergen Woerle, MD, chief scientific and medical officer of Nestlé Health Science, adds that the clinical results indicate that the program “can not only deliver double-digit weight loss, but also reduce cardiovascular risk burden in people with overweight or obesity.” 

“Given the increased cardiovascular risk associated with obesity, and up until now the lack of insights into how quality meal replacement programs can modulate this, these are important results.” 

Efficacy evidence 
Johansen explains that the program is one of the most rigorously studied meal replacement programs, as the evidence base has been generated over the years on using the program in collaboration with experts or by experts without company involvement. 

“Data on its use, across several geographical regions, show a consistent effect, where a double-digit weight reduction can be achieved, associated with improvements in a range of relevant conditions, including fatty liver disease.” 

“It has also been shown to help with post-operative recovery when used as a pre-surgery intervention in certain conditions, and most recently, it has also been identified as a highly efficacious method to reverse type 2 diabetes.”

By Jolanda van Hal