Objectives: The Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and obesity are among the proven causes of vascular dysfunction. The cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) was developed as a method to assess arterial stiffness. The aim of the study was to establish the influence of weight loss on arterial stiffness parameters. Material and Methods: 135 subjects completed a 6 months standardized life style intervention study. Average initial weight was 96.63kg with a BMI of 34.34kg/m2. CAVI and the ankle-brachial index

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... BI) were measured and body composition was assessed. Some biochemical markers were also determined. Results: The average weight decreased to 84.61kg, with fat mass loss of 9.6 kg. Mean CAVI decreased from 7.92±1.28 to 7.21±1.08. The decrease in CAVI correlates with the total weight and fat loss rather than the speed of weight loss. Conclusions: Our results show that weight loss can influence arterial stiffness, mainly by decreasing fat tissue mass. key words: obesity, arterial stiffness, weight loss, lifestyle intervention.