TNF and infection: An attenuated level of systemic inflammation was indicated by cytokines (e.g., TNF-α ↓, IP10 ↓, Figure 5) and previously published findings on metabolomic markers [high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ↑, α1-acid glycoprotein ↓, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (S-hs-CRP) levels ↓ (19)] after the weight loss thus alleviating doubts of infection, inflammation, or disease induced leukocytosis.