# Moderate weight loss decreases lipedema-affected body fat mass in a woman who is lean with lipedema

## TL;DR

Moderate weight loss in a normal-weight woman with lipedema reduced body fat, including lipedema-affected fat, without changing fat distribution proportions.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates that moderate weight loss can reduce lipedema-affected fat in a normal-weight individual.

## Key findings

- Approximately 85% of the weight loss was due to a decrease in body fat.
- Weight loss did not alter the proportion of total body fat in the legs or arms.
- The results suggest that weight loss can be therapeutic for lipedema-affected adipose tissue.

## Abstract

Lipedema is a lipodystrophic disease characterized primarily by a disproportionate increase in lower body subcutaneous fat. Although moderate weight loss decreases lower body fat mass in women with obesity and lipedema, it is possible that this decrease is due to a reduction in normal subcutaneous fat, rather than lipedema-affected fat. We evaluated the effect of moderate (11%) diet-induced weight loss on body fat mass and distribution, assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and magnetic resonance imaging, in a 56-year-old woman with lipedema who was normal weight (body mass index: 23.9 kg/m2) at baseline. Approximately 85% of the decrease in body weight comprised body fat. The relative reduction in upper body fat (abdominal subcutaneous, arm and trunk fat) was similar to the relative reduction in lower body (total leg fat and thigh subcutaneous fat). Accordingly, weight loss did not change the proportion of total body fat comprising leg fat (44.8% and 45.1% before and after weight loss, respectively) or arm fat (9.1% and 9.6% before and after weight loss, respectively). These data suggest weight loss decreases lipedema-affected adipose tissue and demonstrate the therapeutic effect of weight loss on body composition in women with lipedema even if they are normal weight.