This is a 6-month open label pilot RCT that will be conducted on Lebanese participants with obesity, upon the initiation of Liraglutide for medical weight management, as recommended by their physician. Patients will be randomized to 3 treatment arms: Mediterranean (Med) diet, high protein/ low carbohydrate (HP/LC) diet, and control low fat (LF) diet. While both Med diet and LF diet will be both hypocaloric, allowing the same energy restriction, of 500 Kcal/d, the HP/LC diet will be ad libitum. Participants will be recruited from the Endocrine clinics at AUB-MC (in Building 23 and at the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Unit), and from satellite clinics next to AUB- MC. Brochures and posters of the trial will be available in the clinic waiting areas. Patients of both participating and non-participating physicians will be recruited in the study.
In patients initiating Liraglutide for weight management, the objective is to compare the effect of Med diet, high protein/low carbohydrate (HP/LC) diet and low fat (LF) control diet on CV parameters, namely arterial stiffness, measured by carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (cfPWV), and visceral adipose tissue, in addition to other metabolic indicators.