Comparative Analysis of Weight Reduction Strategies Across Different Age Groups: Evaluating Exercise, Medicinal Approaches, and Intermittent Fasting

Introduction

This study looked at how well three different weight-loss strategies worked for various age groups. Based on age and intervention approach, participants who were severely obese (weighing about 200 kg) were split into three groups.

The findings show that systematic intermittent fasting resulted in a considerably higher rate of weight loss than either unplanned activity or medication. Over the course of the trial, members in the intermittent fasting group lost about 75 kg of weight.

Introduction

A major global health concern, obesity is becoming more common in a variety of demographic groups. Although a lot of research has been done on the treatment efficacy of different weight loss techniques, there are still few comparative studies of these strategies across age groups with severe obesity.

The majority of weight loss research has been conducted on middle-aged, moderately obese populations, with interventions usually lasting just brief periods of time, as previous meta-analyses have shown. It is still necessary to assess the efficacy of various approaches across different age groups with severe obesity, even though combination diet and activity regimens have demonstrated encouraging outcomes in maintaining weight loss beyond a year.

According to recent data, even slight weight loss can have a major positive impact on one's health. Low weight loss (less than 5% of body weight) improved cardiovascular markers, metabolic variables, anthropometric measures, and quality of life outcomes in 60% of the assessed studies, according to the Obesity Policy Research Unit (OPRU).

Nevertheless, the majority of these research were carried out in wealthy nations with subjects who had moderate obesity levels.

By comparing three alternative weight loss strategies across several age groups with severe obesity, this study fills this research vacuum. The aim was to assess the effects of structured intermittent fasting, medication, and unplanned activity on weight loss results in severely obese people from a range of age groups and professional backgrounds.

Research Question and Hypothesis

The purpose of this study was to determine which weight loss method works best for people of all ages who suffer from severe obesity. We predicted that, for all age groups, structured intermittent fasting would result in better weight loss results than either medication or unplanned activity.

Methods

Study Design

Three parallel groups were monitored for a total of 12 months in this prospective longitudinal investigation. Throughout the course of the trial, weight measurements were taken at baseline and every three months.

Participants

2. Group 2 (n=10): Middle-aged adults (40–50 years old), mostly employed professionals (teachers, office workers, and farmers), who try to lose weight by using herbal, homeopathic, and medical methods.

3. Group 3 (n=10): Older adults aged 50+ years, primarily professionals (business executives, engineers, and doctors) following a structured intermittent fasting regimen.

Public ads and recommendations from nearby medical professionals were used to find participants. Prior to enrollment, each subject gave written informed permission. The institutional ethics committee gave its clearance to the project.

Both Inclusion and Exclusion Standards

Among the requirements for inclusion were:

Body weight of roughly 200 kg (±10 kg) - Age suitable for the designated group

Absence of involvement in other weight-loss initiatives

The designated intervention has no contraindications.

Among the exclusion criteria were:

The existence of severe hepatic, renal, or cardiovascular disease

Pregnancy that is ongoing or recent; use of drugs that alter weight that are not covered by the study protocol

The background of bariatric procedures

Interventions

Group 1: Unscheduled Exercise

Participants in this group continued their regular exercise regimens, which included walking and going to the gym, without regard to any particular timetable or level of intensity. Participants maintained their regular eating habits without any dietary limitations or mealtime schedules, and no nutritional intervention was offered.

Group 2: Medicinal Approaches

This group's participants underwent a mix of herbal, homeopathic, and conventional weight-loss therapies. Calcarea Carbonica was used to treat abdominal adiposity, Bryonia was used to treat weight gain brought on by stress and depression, and Fucus Vesiculosus was used to treat thyroid-related weight problems [5]. Standardized extracts of fenugreek, garcinia cambogia, and green tea were among the herbal supplements. Monthly meetings with medical professionals were provided to participants in order to track their development and make any necessary therapy adjustments.

Group 3: Intermittent Fasting

Participants were given a regular meal for four days in a row, followed by three days of severe calorie restriction (around 500–600 calories per day) as part of a 4:3 intermittent fasting regimen [4]. Nutritionists provided regular support, help with meal planning, and comprehensive nutritional advice to participants. The fasting regimen was closely observed with frequent check-ins and meal diaries.

Measurements

Primary outcome measures included:

1. Body weight (kg): Participants wearing light clothing were measured using calibrated scales.

2. Weight (kg) divided by height squared (m2) yields the body mass index (BMI).

3. Waist circumference (cm): Determined by dividing the top of the iliac crest by the lower edge of the least perceptible rib.

Among the secondary outcome measures were:

1. Blood pressure

2. Blood glucose levels during fasting

3. Lipid profile (triglycerides, HDL, LDL, and total cholesterol)

4. Using the SF-36 questionnaire to measure quality of life

5. Adherence rates to the program

Statistical Analysis

SPSS version 26.0 was used to analyze the data. For every variable, descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations) were computed. Bonferroni post-hoc tests and one-way ANOVA were used to examine differences between groups. Repeated measures ANOVA was used to examine changes over time within the group. P-values less than 0.05 were regarded as statistically significant.

Results

Participant Characteristics

During the 12-month research period, all 30 patients finished, with a 92% total adherence rate. With mean body weights of 198.7 kg (±5.2) for Group 1, 201.3 kg (±4.8) for Group 2, and 199.5 kg (±5.5) for Group 3, the baseline parameters were similar for all three groups. At baseline, Group 1's mean BMI was 63.4 kg/m² (±2.1), Group 2's was 64.7 kg/m² (±1.9), and Group 3's was 63.9 kg/m² (±2.3).

Weight Reduction Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Weight Loss

After a year, there were notable variations in the weight loss between the groups. With an average weight loss of 74.6 kg (±8.3), or 37.4% less than baseline, Group 3 (intermittent fasting) lost the most weight. The average weight loss for Group 1 (unscheduled exercise) was 18.2 kg (±6.7), which is 9.2% less than the baseline. The mean weight loss for Group 2 (medical techniques) was 25.4 kg (±7.2), which is 12.6% less than the baseline. Group 3 differed from the other two groups in a statistically significant way (p<0.001).

BMI Reduction:

Group 3 had the largest BMI reduction, with a mean decrease of 23.9 kg/m² (±2.7), in line with weight loss findings. Group 1 and Group 2 showed mean decreases of 5.8 kg/m² (±2.1) and 8.2 kg/m² (±2.3), respectively (p<0.001 for Group 3 vs. both other groups).

The circumference of the waist: Groups 1 and 2 experienced mean waist circumference decreases of 14.3 cm (±4.2), 18.6 cm (±4.5), and 41.2 cm (±5.1), respectively. Once more, Group 3's differences from the other two groups were statistically significant (p<0.001).

Secondary Outcomes

Cardiovascular Parameters

Blood pressure improved in all groups, however Group 3's systolic (-18.7 mmHg) and diastolic (-12.5 mmHg) values were the most significant drops when compared to Group 1's (-8.3/-5.2 mmHg) and Group 2's (-10.1/-6.8 mmHg) values.

Metabolic Parameters:

Group 3 demonstrated the greatest changes in lipid profile and fasting blood glucose (-28.3 mg/dL), with triglycerides (-57.8 mg/dL), LDL cholesterol (-31.2 mg/dL), and total cholesterol (-42.5 mg/dL) all declining and HDL rising.

The cholesterol level was 8.7 mg/dL. These characteristics improved somewhat in Groups 1 and 2, but not nearly as much as in Group 3.

Life Quality:

Group 3 demonstrated the most significant increases across all SF-36 questionnaire domains, especially in physical functioning, vitality, and general health perception, while all groups reported improvements in quality of life scores.

Adherence Rates:

Groups 1 and 3 had adherence rates of 87%, 83%, and 97%, respectively, indicating that participants tolerated and sustained the intermittent fasting regimen despite its structured nature.

Temporal Patterns of Weight Loss

An examination of weight reduction trends over time showed significant group disparities. Group 3 demonstrated steady weight loss throughout the course of the 12-month period, with a little faster loss in the first half (about 45 kg) and a slower but sustained loss in the second half (about 30 kg). Group 1 lost about 12 kg of weight in the first six months of the trial, but their progress slowed significantly in the second half, losing about 6 kg. Group 2 showed a more steady trend, losing about 13 kg in the first half of the year and 12 kg in the second half.

Discussion

The results of this study show that among severely obese people of all ages, controlled intermittent fasting significantly reduces weight more than either unplanned activity or medication measures.

Compared to obesity intervention trials, which typically report weight reductions of 10-15% of original body weight, the intermittent fasting group's weight loss (mean 74.6 kg, representing 37.4% of initial body weight) was significantly greater.

These outcomes are consistent with recent research from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, which showed that participants who followed an intermittent fasting routine lost more weight than those who followed a daily calorie restriction plan. The severity of obesity in our population and the length of our intervention, however, may have contributed to the significantly larger weight loss in our trial.

Several processes could be responsible for intermittent fasting's effectiveness.

First, the practice of eating normally and drastically reducing calories may help improve insulin sensitivity and reset metabolic processes.

Second, compared to unstructured or continuous calorie restriction, the regimen's organized design may improve adherence.

Third, the consistent pattern can support the development of better eating practices that continue after the intervention.

The slight weight loss seen in Group 1 (unscheduled activity) is consistent with earlier studies showing that exercise by itself usually results in only modest weight loss, especially when no dietary changes are made.

According to the Miller et al. (1997) meta-analysis, exercise-only therapies resulted in a mean weight loss of about 2.9 kg, which was significantly less than diet-only or combination interventions. Our results build on this work by showing that, even among younger adults who may be more receptive to physical activity programs, unstructured exercise had modest effects for people with severe obesity.

Observation

Conventional, homeopathic, and herbal treatments may be somewhat helpful for managing weight, but they will have a far smaller impact than structured dietary programs like intermittent fasting, according to the moderate weight loss shown in Group 2 (medical approaches). This result is in line with earlier studies on homeopathic weight loss methods, which have demonstrated some moderate advantages in small-scale investigations.

Implications for Clinical Practice

The significant weight loss that individuals experienced after adhering to the intermittent fasting schedule indicates that this strategy should be taken into account as a first-line treatment for severe obesity, especially in older adults. Nonetheless, the efficacy of this strategy in our study across all age groups points to its potential applicability across a range of demographics.

Unscheduled exercise performs comparatively poorly, which emphasizes the significance of planned food therapy for substantial weight loss in cases of severe obesity. Even though physical activity is still crucial for promoting general health, our research indicates that it has little effect on weight loss in cases of extreme obesity unless dietary changes are made.

The modest advantages of pharmaceutical techniques imply that they might be used as supplemental treatments rather than as the main treatment for extreme obesity. More research should be done on how these strategies work in conjunction with more successful therapies like intermittent fasting.

Restrictions and Prospects

This study has a number of limitations that should be noted.

First, statistical power and generalizability are constrained by the small sample size (n=10 each group). Larger and more varied sample sizes should be used in future research.

Second, even though we made an effort to account for potential confounding factors, results might have been impacted by the various employment backgrounds of the groups.

Third, self-reporting of physical activity and food consumption introduces possible reporting biases even with high adherence rates.

Future research should explore the long-term sustainability of weight loss achieved through intermittent fasting beyond the 12-month intervention period. Additionally, studies comparing different intermittent fasting protocols (e.g., alternate-day fasting, time-restricted feeding) could help identify the most effective approaches for different populations. Finally, investigating the physiological mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of intermittent fasting could inform more targeted interventions.

Conclusion

In severely obese people of all ages, this study shows that structured intermittent fasting significantly reduces weight more effectively than either unplanned activity or medication. The amount of weight that individuals lost after completing the intermittent fasting program (about 75 kg over a 12-month period) is clinically significant and has the potential to significantly enhance quality of life and health outcomes.

According to these results, structured intermittent fasting ought to be the main treatment for extreme obesity in all age groups, whereas unstructured exercise and medication might have less significant effects. Larger sample sizes and longer follow-up times are needed for future studies to validate and expand on these results

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