Non-surgical studies of weight loss and indices of sleep apnoea before and after weight loss intervention
| Author | Lifestyle intervention | Number of subjects | Follow-up (months) | BMI (kg/m2) | AHI (/h) | ||
| Preop | Postop | Preop | Postop | ||||
| Smith et al, 198565 | Weight loss advice | 15 | 5.3 | NS | NS | 55 | 29.2 |
| Rubinstein et al, 1988* 16 | Diet or surgery | 12 (study proportion unknown) | NA | 41 | 32 | 57 | 14 |
| Pasquali et al, 1990* 14 | Diet | 23 | 3–14 | 37.5 | 30.9 | 66.5 | 33 |
| Rajala et al, 1991* 15 | Diet | 8 | NS | 50.7 | 44.1 | 45.75 | 31.63 |
| Schwartz et al, 1991* 66 | Diet | 13 | NS | 42.0 | 34.7 | 83.3 | 32.5 |
| Suratt et al, 198767 and 1992* 68 | Diet | 8 | 1 month<24 | 54 | 46 | 90 | 62 |
| Kiselak et al, 199369 | Diet | 14 | 4.5–5 | 54.88 | NS | 17.63 | 1.03 |
| Nahmias et al, 199370 | Diet | 24 | 5–19 | NS | NS | 56.5 | 17.5 |
| Noseda et al, 199653 | Diet+CPAP or surgery+CPAP | 39 (36 diet, 3 surgery) | 12 | NS | NS | 66.5 | 50.3 |
| Kansanen et al, 1998* | Diet | 15 | 3 | 38.1 | 35.1 | 29 | 18 |
| Sampol et al, 199817 | Diet | 67 | NS | 31.5 | 25.9 | 52.3 | 44.2 |
| Sampol et al, 199817 (cured patients) | Diet+exercise | 24 | 11.5 | 32.8 | 27.2 | 44.3 | 3 |
| Sampol et al, 199817 (cured patients)* | Diet+exercise | 24 | 94.3 | 32.8 | 30.8 | 44.3 | 26.4 |
| Martinez and Basile, 200513 | Sibutramine | 10 | 1 | 25–35 | NS | 28 | 27 |
| Yee et al, 2007* 18 | Sibutramine+diet | 87 | 6 | 34.2 | 31.0 | 46 | 29.6 |
| Verhulst et al, 200971 (teenagers) | Diet | 21 | 5 | NS | NS | 3.8 | 1.9 |
| Barnes et al, 2009* 72 | Diet+exercise | 10 | 4 | 36.1 | 30.1 | 24.6 | 18.3 |
| Phillips et al, 2009* 73 | Sibutramine+diet+exercise | 93 | 6 | 34.1 | 31.6 | 45.9 | 30.2 |
| Ferland et al, 200974 | Sibutramine+diet+exercise | 22 | 12 | 36.8 | 35.0 | 39.8 | 37.0 |
| Foster et al, 2009* 11 | Weight loss advice | 139 | 12 | 36.5 | 36.3 | 23.5 | 27.7 |
| Foster et al, 2009* 11 | Diet+exercise | 125 | 12 | 36.8 | 33.0 | 22.9 | 17.5 |
| Nerfeldt et al, 2010* 75 | Diet+behavioural support | 22 | 24 | 40.0 | 35.0 | 43.0 | 28.0 |
| Tuomilehto et al, 2010* 76 | Diet | 35 | 24 | 33.4 | 30.9 | 10 | 5.4 |
| Johansson et al, 201177 78 | Diet+behavioural support+exercise+sibutramine/orlistat | 49 | 12 | 34.8 | 31.1 | 36 | 19 |
| Weighted mean (random effects) post-intervention change | ↓3.27 | ↓13.73 | |||||
↵* Studies reporting the post-intervention changes of both BMI and AHI which were subsequently included in the analysis to derive the weighted mean change of BMI and AHI.
AHI, apnoea-hypopnoea index; BMI, body mass index; CPAP, continuous positive airway pressure; NS, not specified.