Effects of weight loss from a very-low-carbohydrate diet on endothelial function and markers of cardiovascular disease risk in subjects with abdominal obesity.

Description

This study by Keogh et al. compared the effect of a very-low carbohydrate, high-saturated-fat diet (LC) vs. an isocaloric, conventional high-carbohydrate, low-saturated-fat diet (HC) on brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) and markers of endothelial function in 99 subjects (LC=52 and HC=47). Data analysis showed that weight loss occurred in both groups (p<0.001) and was significantly greater in the LC group than in the HC group. A number of markers of endothelial function (E-selectin and P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1)) were improved by weight loss in the LC group. Glucose and insulin concentrations decreased with weight loss regardless of the diet type. Total cholesterol was lower after weight loss and decreased to a greater extent in the HC group. HDL cholesterol levels did not change with the HC diet, but did increase with the LC diet. However, despite significant weight loss, FMD did not change in both groups. The authors found that both diets had beneficial effects on most of the traditional and new cardiovascular disease risk factors measured. They also found that no diet had a substantially different impact on overall risk of cardiovascular disease.