Abstract
BackgroundExcess body fat is a major health issue and a risk factor for the development of numerous chronic diseases. Low-carbohydrate diets like the Atkins Diet are popular for rapid weight loss, but the long-term consequences remain the subject of debate. The Scandinavian low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) diet, which has been popular in Scandinavian countries for about a decade, has very low carbohydrate content (~5 E %) but is rich in fat and includes a high proportion of saturated fatty acids. Here we investigated the metabolic and physiological consequences of a diet with a macronutrient composition similar to the Scandinavian LCHF diet and its effects on the organs, tissues, and metabolism of weight stable mice.MethodsFemale C57BL/6J mice were iso-energetically pair-fed for 4 weeks with standard chow or a LCHF diet. We measured body composition using echo MRI and the aerobic capacity before and after 2 and 4 weeks on diet. Cardiac function was assessed by echocardiography before and after 4 weeks on diet. The metabolic rate was measured by indirect calorimetry the fourth week of the diet. Mice were sacrificed after 4 weeks and the organ weight, triglyceride levels, and blood chemistry were analyzed, and the expression of key ketogenic, metabolic, hormonal, and inflammation genes were measured in the heart, liver, and adipose tissue depots of the mice using real-time PCR.ResultsThe increase in body weight of mice fed a LCHF diet was similar to that in controls. However, while control mice maintained their body composition throughout the study, LCHF mice gained fat mass at the expense of lean mass after 2 weeks. The LCHF diet increased cardiac triglyceride content, impaired cardiac function, and reduced aerobic capacity. It also induced pronounced alterations in gene expression and substrate metabolism, indicating a unique metabolic state.ConclusionsPair-fed mice eating LCHF increased their percentage of body fat at the expense of lean mass already after 2 weeks, and after 4 weeks the function of the heart deteriorated. These findings highlight the urgent need to investigate the effects of a LCHF diet on health parameters in humans.
Highlights
Excess body fat is a major health issue and a risk factor for the development of numerous chronic diseases
Aerobic capacity, and gene expression analysis After 4 weeks on diet, echocardiography demonstrated impaired cardiac function in the low-carbohydrate high-fat (LCHF) group compared to the control group in terms of reduced stroke volume and cardiac output (p < 0.05) (Fig. 2a and b)
The maximum aerobic capacity was lower in the LCHF group at the end of the study compared to the control group
Summary
Excess body fat is a major health issue and a risk factor for the development of numerous chronic diseases. The prevalence of obesity has increased in the last few decades, as have the metabolic syndromes and cardiac health problems that are associated with obesity [1]. This is most likely due to both behavioral and environmental factors, such as changes in dietary habits and activity levels, rather than to genetic factors. During the last ten years, a variety of low-carbohydrate high-fat diets have become more popular, like the Atkins diet and the Scandinavian low-carbohydrate high-fat diet (LCHF) This is probably because such diets can help people lose weight rapidly. The authors concluded that in the short-term, i.e., over a 6month period, providing advice about strict or moderately low-carbohydrate diets is more effective for weight loss than providing advice about low-fat diets
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