Effect of weight reduction on the quality of life in obese patients with fibromyalgia syndrome: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine whether weight reduction can result in improvement of fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ) in the patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). This study was a randomized controlled trial. Obese patients with fibromyalgia were randomly assigned to 6-month dietary weight loss (n = 41) and no weight loss (n = 42) groups. Patients were assessed at baseline and at 6 months. The primary outcome measure was FIQ. Secondary measures included the tender point (TP) examination, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index. Compared to the control group, patients who underwent weight reduction obtained significantly better FIQ (p = 0.007), lower mean TP count (p = 0.015), and lower mean TP pain rating in the lower body (p < 0.001). Patients who lost weight had less depression and better sleep quality than the controls. Patients who lost weight had significantly lower interleukin 6 and C-reactive protein levels than those in the control group (p = 0.034 and p = 0.007, respectively). Weight loss in obese patients with FMS leads to significant improvement in the quality of life as shown by the decrease in the FIQ score. Depression, sleep quality, and tender point count are also significantly improved by weight loss in obese patients with fibromyalgia. Our results suggest that weight reduction should be a part of fibromyalgia treatment.

Fibromyalgia: A Critical and Comprehensive Review

“…Similar correlations have emerged in FMS patients [590,591]. There is growing evidence that weight loss may be an important component of the treatment of FMS patients and can be associated with significant improvements in overall symptom severity, pain, depression, and HRQoL [443,590].…”

“…There are a variety of potential confounders that were not given enough consideration in most studies. These include depression and anxiety [425,441], comorbid CFS [426], pre-or post-menopausal status [433]; and BMI [442,443]. In addition, the testing of TPs is stressful for patients with FMS and may be associated with a prolonged rise in cytokine production [340], and therefore should not be undertaken on the same day as blood draws for the measurement of basal hormone or cytokine levels.…”

Physical Activity to Reduce Systemic Inflammation Associated With Chronic Pain and Obesity

“…Weight loss has been found to be associated with reduced levels of systemic pro-inflammatory markers in pain conditions including fibromyalgia syndrome [47], low back pain [48,49] and osteoarthritis of the knee [6,7,46,50]. It has also been found that bariatric surgery has a positive effect on musculoskeletal pain outcomes by reducing the long-term risk of developing work-restricting musculoskeletal pain and increasing the likelihood of recovering from such pain.…”

“…A number of studies have shown that weight loss reduces the levels of pro-inflammatory markers and that even a modest weight loss will have benefits in terms of decreased pain and pain-related problems such as depression, sleep disturbance, fatigue and mechanical overload [7,47,49,50,58,59].…”

Chronic Pain in the Obese Population: Is Exercise The Key?

“…Consumption of foods rich in carbohydrate that result in postprandial elevation in blood glucose cause repetitive acute inflammation that can worsen systemic inflammation [11]. Research suggests that weight loss reduces the levels of proinflammatory markers in fibromyalgia [12], low back pain [13] and osteoarthritis of the knee [4]. It has also been claimed that exercise itself has a prophylactic effect on the development of some pain conditions such as fibromyalgia syndrome, and neck, shoulder and back pain [14].…”