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Spatial Distribution of Pain After Weight Loss

J Pain; ePub 2017 Aug 25; Schrepf, et al

Publish date:: September 12, 2017

The spatial distribution of pain, fatigue, and depressive symptoms improved in obese patients following a weight-loss intervention, a recent study found. The observational study included 123 obese individuals undergoing a 12-16 week calorie restriction weight loss intervention and sought to determine if weight loss using a low-calorie diet improves pain, affect, and somatic symptoms commonly associated with chronic pain conditions. Scores were measured before and after weight loss. Researchers found:

Pain, symptom severity, depression, and fibromyalgia scores improved following weight loss, with men showing greater improvement than women on somatic symptoms and fibromyalgia scores.
Improvement was greatest in those losing 10% or more of their body weight.
The anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 increased after weight loss.

Citation:

Schrepf A, Harte SE, Miller N, et al. Improvement in the spatial distribution of pain, somatic symptoms, and depression following a weight-loss intervention. [Published online ahead of print August 25, 2017]. J Pain. doi:10.1016/j.jpain.2017.08.004.

Commentary:

Diet and weight loss in obese individuals has many important benefits. The benefits of a healthy diet, weight loss, and exercise on cardiovascular risk factors is well appreciated. Less well appreciated is the decrease in risk of cancer that can occur. A healthy lifestyle can eliminate approximately 80% of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, as well as 40% of cancers.¹ Less appreciated still, and supported by the results of this article, is that a healthy lifestyle, in this case weight reduction, leads to decreased pain and better mood. The clinical relevance is clear—for obese patients with chronic pain, it is important to prioritize lifestyle modification as an integral part of any approach to pain management. —Neil Skolnik, MD

Spring B, Ockene JK, Gidding SS, et al; American Heart Association Behavior Change Committee of the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention, Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health, Council for High Blood Pressure Research, and Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. Better population health through behavior change in adults: A call to action. Circulation. 2013;128:2169–2176. doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000435173.25936.e1.

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