Biochemical variables before and after weight loss
| Variable (reference range) | No. of patients | Value, mean (SD) | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before | After | |||
| Glycemic status | ||||
| Glucose, mmol/L (3.0–5.4 mmol/L) | 257 | 6.1 (3.5) | 5.6 (3.3) | < 0.001 |
| Insulin, mU/L (4–10 mU/L) | 104 | 26.3 (44.4) | 13.9 (17.0) | < 0.001 |
| Liver function | ||||
| γ-Glutamyltransferase, μkat/L (men: < 0.8 μkat/L, women: < 0.5 μkat/L) | 272 | 0.6 (0.5) | 0.4 (0.5) | < 0.001 |
| Alkaline phosphatase, μkat/L (0.4–1.7 μkat/L) | 278 | 1.4 (0.4) | 1.2 (0.4) | < 0.001 |
| Aspartate aminotrasferase, μkat/L (< 0.7 μkat/L) | 275 | 0.5 (0.3) | 0.3 (0.2) | < 0.001 |
| Alanine aminotransferase, μkat/L (< 0.6 μkat/L) | 277 | 0.7 (0.4) | 0.4 (0.2) | < 0.001 |
| Bilirubin, umol/L (< 20 μmol/L) | 151 | 9.8 (4.5) | 11.1 (5.4) | < 0.001 |
| Lipids, homocysteine and C-reactive protein | ||||
| Triglyceride, mmol/L (< 1.7 mmol/L) | 261 | 1.6 (0.8) | 1.3 (0.7) | < 0.001 |
| Total cholesterol, mmol/L* | 277 | 4.9 (1.1) | 5.3 (2.9) | 0.044 |
| High density cholesterol, mmol/L (1.0–2.2 mmol/L) | 249 | 1.3 (0.3) | 1.4 (0.3) | < 0.001 |
| Low density cholesterol, mmol/L (2.0–3.4 mmol/L) | 243 | 3.0 (1.0) | 3.1 (1.0) | 0.001 |
| Homocysteine, μmol/L (5–15 μmol/L) | 94 | 13.9 (16.6) | 14.5 (10.6) | < 0.001 |
| C-reactive protein, nmol/L (0.76–28.5 nmol/L) | 216 | 90.5 (75.2) | 53.3 (61.9) | < 0.001 |
| Leucocytes | ||||
| White blood cell count, 109/L (mean 7.5 [SD 3.5]) | 153 | 6.9 (1.9) | 6.5 (1.9) | 0.013 |
| Neutrophils, 109/L (2–7.5 109/L) | 151 | 4.1 (1.5) | 3.7 (1.4) | 0.003 |
SD = standard deviation.
↵* For minimal risk of coronary artery disease, the Australian National Heart Foundation recommends a treatment target of < 4.0 mmol/L.