Objective: To study whether weight reducing treatment modulates serum concentration of TNF-alpha and two soluble TNF-alpha receptors in obese subjects.
Subjects and measurements: Serum concentrations of TNF-alpha and two soluble receptors (sTNF-R1, sTNF-R2), plasma glucose, insulin, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglicerides were measured in 27 obese subjects (age 48 +/- 12y, body mass index (BMI): 36 +/- 6 kg/m2) before and after 3 months weight reducing treatment consisted of a diet & 1,000 kcal/day and physical exercises.
Results: The mean loss of weight during 3 months' treatment was 9.3 +/- 3.3 kg. The serum concentration of TNF-alpha decreased after weight loss and at the same time both of the receptors (sTNF-R1,sTNF-R2) increased significantly.
Conclusion: The observed decrease of the serum concentration of TNF-alpha and the increase in both TNF soluble receptors after weight reducing treatment in obese subjects, may be a counter-regulation preventing further weight loss.