Fewer cases of mild apnea
- Published in
- Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2009
- People studied
- 72
In a trial of 72 people with mild apnea, those on a very low calorie diet with counselling had about a quarter of the comparison group's odds of still having it a year later.
- Checked against
- PubMed 19011153
- Published in
- Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2009
- Last checked
- 30 October 2026
Key takeaway
72 adults with overweight and mild obstructive sleep apnea were randomly given either a very low calorie diet with supervised lifestyle counselling, or routine lifestyle advice. The programme group lost about 10.7 kg on average. A year later their odds of still having mild apnea were about a quarter of the comparison group's, and common apnea symptoms improved.
At a glance
- Type of study
- randomised trial
- People studied
- 72
- How long
- 1 year
- Compared with
- people given routine lifestyle advice
- Main result
- About a quarter of the comparison group's odds of still having mild apnea after a year.
- Strength of evidence
- Small or uncontrolled studies
What this study does not show
A small trial, only in people with mild apnea. It followed people for one year.
Results from studies in groups of people, mostly in diet and movement programmes. They cannot be promised to any one person. This information is educational and does not replace a consultation with a doctor.
More on sleep
- Milder sleep apneaLong-term or observational studies · Peppard et al., JAMA 2000
- More people free of apneaRandomised trials · Foster et al., Arch Intern Med 2009
- Fewer cases of mild apneaSmall or uncontrolled studies · Tuomilehto et al., Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2009
- Fewer breathing pauses at nightSmall or uncontrolled studies · Johansson et al., BMJ 2009
- Lasting gains for sleep apneaRandomised trials · Kuna et al., Sleep 2013
- Fewer breathing pauses with diet or exerciseRandomised trials · Edwards et al., Respirology 2019
- Less daytime sleepinessLong-term or observational studies · Carneiro-Barrera et al., Obes Rev 2019
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