Weight Loss in Older Patients With Persistent Atrial Fibrillation

In older patients with overweight and atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing cardioversion, does dietary weight loss improve AF-related symptoms compared with usual care?In this randomized clinical trial that included 118 individuals, the baseline-adjusted mean Atrial Fibrillation Severity Scale symptom severity score at 8 months was not significantly different between the groups (7.9 [SE, 0.84] in the intervention group vs 8.9 [SE, 0.84] in the control group,  = .43) despite the intervention resulting in significantly lower body weight (92.6 [SE, 0.85] kg vs 99.4 [SE, 0.85] kg;  < .001).Moderate dietary weight loss was not an effective treatment strategy in this trial in older patients with persistent AF.

Corresponding Author: Rohan Wijesurendra, MB, BChir MA (Cantab), MSc, DPhil (Oxon), Clinical Trial Service Unit and Epidemiological Studies Unit, Nuffield Department of Population Health, Richard Doll Building, Oxford, OX3 7LF, United Kingdom (rohan.wijesurendra@ndph.ox.ac.uk).

Link to the article in your story

We encourage you to link out to this article in your story using the link below. It includes an access token that will give free access to the article for your readers up to one year after publication. (The link will be live after the article publishes and embargo is lifted.)

Please see the article for additional information, including full author list, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.

Need more information? Contact us.