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(Circulation. 2002;105:e9075.)
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.

Cardiovascular News

Ruth SoRelle, MPH

Circulation Newswriter

Sustain Weight Loss to Downregulate Inflammation

Weight loss in obese women downregulates the inflammatory state that increases risk of heart disease, according to Italian researchers reporting in this week’s issue of Circulation (Circulation. 2002;105:804–809). In this study, Patrizia Ziccardi, MD, PhD, and colleagues in the Department of Geriatrics and Metabolic Diseases at the Policlinico della Seconda Universita di Napoli in Naples, Italy, compared the levels of tumor necrosis factor , interleukin-6, P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule 1and vascular adhesion molecule 1 in 56 healthy, premenopausal obese women, aged 25 to 44, to those of 40 age-matched normal women.

The obese women had a body mass index, on average, of 37.2 and a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.78 to 0.92. They had increased basal concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules that were measured in both groups.

After a year of counseling, the obese women had lost at least 10% of their original weight—a sustained weight loss that also resulted in reductions of the cytokine and adhesion concentrations. In addition, they showed an improved vascular response to L-arginine, the natural precursor to nitric oxide.

The authors conclude that because of the "powerful association with obesity, weight loss may be another safe method for downregulating the inflammatory status of obese subjects with the goal to reduce their cardiovascular risk."

The Viagra Dilemma
A major concern about the use of sildenafil citrate (Viagra) has been its effect on men with coronary artery disease—arguably a group that might be among those most interested in using the medication to treat erectile problems.

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