Greater Loss of Central Adiposity from Low-Carbohydrate versus Low-Fat Diet in Middle-Aged Adults with Overweight and Obesity.

Valene Garr Barry,Barbara A Gower,Mariah Stewart,Renee A Desmond,Amy M Goss,Taraneh Soleymani

doi:10.3390/nu13020475

Valene Garr Barry, Barbara A Gower + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nu13020475

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Journal: Nutrients	Publication Date: Jan 31, 2021
Citations: 6	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Alabama at Birmingham

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine whether middle-aged adults prescribed a low carbohydrate-high fat (LCHF) or low fat (LF) diet would have greater loss of central fat and to determine whether the insulin resistance (IR) affects intervention response. A total of 50 participants (52.3 ± 10.7 years old; 36.6 ± 7.4 kg/m2 BMI; 82% female) were prescribed either a LCHF diet (n = 32, carbohydrate: protein: fat of 5%:30%:65% without calorie restriction), or LF diet (n = 18, 63%:13–23%: 10–25% with calorie restriction of total energy expenditure—500 kcal) for 15 weeks. Central and regional body composition changes from dual-x-ray absorptiometry and serum measures were compared using paired t-tests and ANCOVA with paired contrasts. IR was defined as homeostatic model assessment (HOMA-IR) > 2.6. Compared to the LF group, the LCHF group lost more android (15.6 ± 11.2% vs. 8.3 ± 8.1%, p < 0.01) and visceral fat (18.5 ± 22.2% vs. 5.1 ± 15.8%, p < 0.05). Those with IR lost more android and visceral fat on the LCHF verses LF group (p < 0.05). Therefore, the clinical prescription to a LCHF diet may be an optimal strategy to reduce disease risk in middle-aged adults, particularly those with IR.

Highlights

Overweight and obesity substantially increase the risk of adverse health events for middle-aged and older adults, such as heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes [1]
The goal of this study was to determine whether prescribing a low carbohydrate high fat diet or a low fat low-calorie diet would result in greater loss of total body and central fat mass, less loss of lean mass among middle-aged adults with overweight and obesity
The main finding of this study was that compared to the low fat (LF) diets, the low carbohydrate-high fat (LCHF) diet prescription elicited a greater reduction in central fat mass

Summary

Introduction

Overweight and obesity substantially increase the risk of adverse health events for middle-aged and older adults, such as heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes [1]. An optimal weight loss intervention to reduce disease risk in these populations should target central fat depots, which are pathogenic and grow at a higher rate relative to total body fat in people with advanced age [3]. Interventions should consider age-specific health concerns, such as the preservation of lean mass and improvement of dyslipidemia and dysglycemia to prevent sarcopenia and reduce disease risk, respectively [2,4]. There is limited evidence that indicates how particular diet interventions affect these age-specific targets among middle-aged to older adults [2,5]

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