In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers attempted to determine whether C-reactive protein (CRP) levels, insulin resistance, and serum triglyceride levels would go down as a result of various treatment combinations.
According to article titled “CPAP versus Oxygen in Obstructive Sleep Apnea”, among the 146 participants for whom there were follow-up data, those assigned to weight loss only and those assigned to the combined interventions had reductions in CRP levels, insulin resistance, and serum triglyceride levels.
“None of these changes were observed in the group receiving CPAP alone,” wrote researchers. “Blood pressure was reduced in all three groups. No significant incremental effect on CRP levels was found for the combined interventions as compared with either weight loss or CPAP alone. Reductions in insulin resistance and serum triglyceride levels were greater in the combined-intervention group than in the group receiving CPAP only, but there were no significant differences in these values between the combined-intervention group and the weight-loss group.”
Researchers concluded: “In adults with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea, CPAP combined with a weight-loss intervention did not reduce CRP levels more than either intervention alone. In secondary analyses, weight loss provided an incremental reduction in insulin resistance and serum triglyceride levels when combined with CPAP.”