2.2 Read some example take-home messages from published papers
The quote below is another example of a take-home message from a paper published by the same journal series. Again, the take-home message appears under the heading of ‘Key Points’ near the Abstract.
Question What are the long-term effects of severe vs moderate energy restriction on lean mass and other aspects of body composition?
Findings This randomized clinical trial included 101 postmenopausal women with obesity. At 12 months, participants who had undergone severe energy restriction experienced approximately 2-fold greater weight and fat loss, approximately 1.5 times as much loss of whole-body lean mass (proportional to total weight lost), and approximately 2.5 times as much loss of total hip bone mineral density compared with participants who had undergone moderate energy restriction.
Meaning Although severe energy restriction is an effective obesity treatment, caution is necessary when implementing it in postmenopausal women, especially those with osteopenia or osteoporosis.
Seimon RV et al JAMA Network Open 2019 Effect of Weight Loss via Severe vs Moderate Energy Restriction on Lean Mass and Body Composition Among Postmenopausal Women With Obesity – The TEMPO Diet Randomized Clinical Trial
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In a nutshell, the take-home message (aka ‘Key Points’) told us WHY the authors did what they did, WHAT the Authors did and WHAT they found, and HOW the results might influence practice.