Effectiveness of a Medifast meal replacement program on weight, body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese adults: a multicenter systematic retrospective chart review study

Abstract

BackgroundRecent medical guidelines emphasize the importance of actively treating overweight and obesity with diet and lifestyle intervention to achieve ≥5 % weight loss in a 6-month period. Commercial programs offer one approach provided there is evidence of their efficacy and safety. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Medifast® 4 & 2 & 1 Plan™ on weight loss, body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors in overweight and obese adults.MethodsA systematic retrospective chart review of 310 overweight and obese clients following the Medifast 4 & 2 & 1 Plan at one of 21 Medifast Weight Control Centers® was conducted. Data were recorded electronically and key data points were independently verified. The primary endpoint was change from baseline body weight at 12 weeks. Within group paired t-tests were used to examine changes from baseline in a completers population. Differences between gender and age subgroups were examined using bivariate t-tests and mixed model regression analyses.ResultsFor the primary endpoint at 12 weeks, body weight among completers (n = 185) was reduced by a mean of 10.9 ± 5.6 kg (-10.1 %, p < 0.0001), and at 24 weeks (n = 81) mean weight was reduced by 16.0 ± 7.9 kg (-14.3 %). At 12 and 24 weeks, 85 % and 96 % of those remaining on the plan, respectively, had lost ≥5 % of their baseline body weight. Lean mass was preserved to within 5 % of baseline throughout the 24 weeks, and fat mass represented ≥80 % of the body weight lost from 12 weeks onward. Men, women, seniors (≥65 years), and non-seniors (<65 years) all had significant weight reductions with preservation of lean mass. Significant improvements in blood pressure, pulse and waist-to-hip ratio were observed. Mean weight regain among the subset who entered a formal maintenance phase was <2 % during an average follow-up of 34 weeks. The meal plan was well tolerated, and program adherence was >85 %.ConclusionsThe 4 & 2 & 1 Plan used at Medifast Weight Control Centers was effective for weight loss, preservation of lean mass and improvement in cardiometabolic risk factors. The plan was generally well tolerated in a broad population of overweight and obese adults. #NCT02150837.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12937-015-0062-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Comparative effectiveness of a portion-controlled meal replacement program for weight loss in adults with and without diabetes/high blood sugar

“…29, 30 The high number of centers represented, the relatively large sample size and the broad chart selection criteria support the generalizability of the study results among weight control center customers and provide a true picture of real-life experience on this program.…”

Effect of JumpstartMD, a Commercial Low-Calorie Low-Carbohydrate Physician-Supervised Weight Loss Program, on 22,407 Adults

“…JumpstartMD weight losses were compared to those reported for other commercial programs (Weight Watchers [6,8,[11][12][13][14][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42], Slimming World [12, 13, 15-22, 37, 43], Rosemary Conley [12,13,37,42], Biggest Losers Club [25,44,45], eDiet [46,47], Jenny Craig [23,24,33,[48][49][50], Itrim [26], Nutrisystem [9,33,[51][52][53], Medifast [28,29,[54][55][56], Health Management Resources [30,[57][58][59], Metabolic Balance Nutrition Program [27], and D...…”

“…Patients prescribed these drugs were more likely to be females (23.7%) than males (17.4%), younger (prescribed vs. nonprescribed mean ± SE, female: 51.0 ± 0.17 vs. 52.0 ± 0.10; male: 51.0 ± 0.46 vs. 54.2 ± 0.23 years), and were slightly leaner if female (30.82 ± 0.08 vs. 31.29 ± 0.05 kg/m 2 , P � 1.2 × 10 − 6 ) but not male (34.31 ± 0.22 vs. 34.26 ± 0.10 kg/ m 2 ). Among female completers, those prescribed phentermine or phendimetrazine lost 6.1% more weight by the end of the first month (difference±SE: − 0.24 ± 0.04 kg, P � 2.2 × 10 − 8 ) and 4.1% more weight by the end of the second month (− 0.26 ± 0.06 kg, P � 4.9 × 10 − 5 ), but only Ahern [11] Dixon [12] Mitchell [14] Avery [16] Avery [16] Dixon [12] Stubbs [22] Stubbs [20] Stubbs [21] Hutchesson [25] Hutchesson [25] Collins [45] Collins [45] Womble [47] Collins [45] Collins [45] Womble [47] Cook [9] Coleman [28] Coleman [29] Coleman [29] Martin [24] Martin [24] Furlow [30] Anderson [57] Anderson [57] Furlow [ Dixon [12] Dixon [12] Heshka [35] Heshka [8] Avery [16] Avery [16] Dixon [12] Stubbs [22] Stubbs [20] Stubbs [21] Collins [45] Collins [45] Collins [45] Shikany…”

“…is report presents weight loss data from over 20,000 selfpaying adults who participated in the JumpstartMD program in the San Francisco Bay Area between 2007 and 2017. Uncontrolled longitudinal patient data have previously been reported in peer-reviewed journals for Weight Watchers [11][12][13][14], Slimming World [12,13,[15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22], Rosemary Conley [12,13], Jenny Craig [23,24], Biggest Loser Club [25], Itrim [26], Metabolic Balance Nutrition Program [27], Medifast [28,29], and Health Management Resources [30]. Mean weight loss for JumpstartMD patients are compared to the published weight losses of other commercial programs, taking into account covariates reported to affect weight loss success: BMI, sex, and age.…”

Meal Replacement in Dietary Management of Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Scoping Review Protocol

“…It has also proven to be a safe and effective method for increasing dietary compliance. [24] There are various MR trials and researches being carried out to date but not much is known on the thorough review of type, composition, dosage and delivery. These information is important as continuous quality improvement of MR and potential lead to better innovation.…”