Study in the Journal of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders Demonstrates That Noom's Mobile Weight Loss Program Helps Patients Lose Weight

NEW YORK, November 7, 2017 (Newswire.com) - The Journal of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders has just published a study that found overweight adults were able to lose weight and keep it off by participating in Noom’s mobile weight loss program, which combines the empathy of real human coaching with a science-based curriculum written by nutritionists, psychologists and clinicians — all delivered in an award-winning design and user experience.

The study — Effectiveness of a Smartphone Application for the Management of Metabolic Syndrome Components Focusing on Weight Loss: A Preliminary Study — demonstrated how a mobile program supported by human coaches was able to help adults lose weight and manage metabolic risk factors such as blood pressure and waist circumference, as well as glucose and lipid profiles.

This latest research is yet another solid medical review study that shows how Noom Coach is helping people get healthier. More than 47 million people around the world have used Noom Coach to help them fight obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic conditions. Our growing consumer database will continue to help us understand and treat the trends and conditions that affect our health populations.

Saeju Jeong, CEO of Noom Coach

“This research shows that patients can effectively manage their weight through lifestyle changes,” said Dr. Tatiana Toro-Ramos, Ph.D., author of the study and Senior Academic Researcher at Noom, Inc. “This research should inspire and motivate people who are struggling with their weight. They can turn to a human coach at any moment — ready to give nutritional, personalized or motivational advice. And they’re literally on your phone.”

Toro-Ramos says the goal of the research was to identify how effective mobile apps are and how they can help people lose weight. The percentage of obese, those with a body mass index (BMI) ‡30 kg/m^2, Americans alone increased from 34.3 percent in 2005 to 37.7 percent in 2014. Obesity greatly increases the risk for heart attack, heart failure, strokes, and kidney failure.

A Closer Look at the Research Findings and Conclusions

The study, “Effectiveness of a Smartphone Application for the Management of Metabolic Syndrome Components Focusing on Weight Loss: A Preliminary Study,” found that participants showed clinically significant weight loss of 7.5 percent at the end of the 15-week program, and at a 52-week follow-up, weight loss of 5.2 percent was maintained.

The study followed Korean participants aged 20–60 who received the mobile intervention with the weight loss program and compared findings to a matched control group that did not receive weight loss curriculum. After 15 weeks, the intervention group achieved 4.28 kg more weight loss than the control group. After the intervention ended, weight loss was maintained at one year (5.2 percent), which was similar to the weight loss at six weeks. This weight loss was significantly higher at 15 and 52 weeks compared with matched controls.

“Our research revolved around a diverse group of adults, coming from different genders, backgrounds and ages. Despite those differences, they showed similar weight loss results,” said Dr. Toro-Ramos. “We believe the research that mobile weight loss apps work on a large scale.”

Before the study, all of the participants were overweight with a BMI ‡23 kg/m^2. The final results showed that after 15 weeks, percent body fat and visceral fat decreased by 6.0 – 5.4 percent and 3.4 – 2.7 kg, respectively. Fasting glucose level also decreased significantly by 5.7 – 14.6 mg/dL at 15 weeks.

How the Study was Conducted

This pilot study was administered through Noom Coach, a mobile behavior change platform with human coaching. Participants were asked to engage in this 15-week mobile intervention between March 2015 and July 2015.

Each participant received a unique and personalized curriculum that included dietary guidance, suggested physical activities, educational content, interaction with live coaches, and food and activity logging.

Noom’s main outcome variables included weight loss, changes in blood pressure, and glucose and lipid profiles. Lipid parameters showed significant improvements, except for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The frequency of logging meals and exercise also predicted higher body fat loss.

The CEO of Noom Coach, Saeju Jeong, says this new research demonstrates how his company is a leader in the digital health space.

“This latest research is yet another solid medical review study that shows how Noom Coach is helping people get healthier,” said Jeong. “More than 47 million people around the world have used Noom Coach to help them fight obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other chronic conditions. Our growing consumer database will continue to help us understand and treat the trends and conditions that affect our health populations.”

About Noom, Inc.

Noom, Inc., a leader in mobile health coaching, combines the power of technology with the empathy of real human coaches to deliver successful behavior change at scale. Noom’s direct-to-consumer weight loss and fitness mobile applications have reached more than 47 million users worldwide. Leveraging the success of their groundbreaking health and fitness programs, Noom developed a behavior change platform to treat chronic and pre-chronic conditions, beginning with the CDC’s Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). Noom is the first fully mobile diabetes prevention program to be recognized by the CDC and the only mobile program clinically proven in a peer-reviewed journal. Noom offers curricula across the acuity spectrum and now features programs for pre-hypertension, hypertension and diabetes management in addition to its flagship weight loss and diabetes prevention programs. Noom has offices in New York City, Seoul and Tokyo.

Press Contact: Mark Macias
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Source: Noom Coach