Changes in Body Weight and Metabolic Indexes in Overweight Breast Cancer Survivors Enrolled in a Randomized Trial of Low-Fat vs. Reduced Carbohydrate Diets

A group of overweight female breast cancer survivors were assigned either a low-fat diet or Modified Atkins Diet. All subjects demonstrated improvements in total/HDL cholesterol ratio, and significant reductions inHbA1c, insulin, and HOMA. Triglycerides levels were significantly reduced only in the low-carbohydrate diet group. Significant improvements in weight and metabolic indexes can be demonstrated among overweight breast cancer survivors adherent to either the Modified Atkins Diet or fatrestricted diet.

Very Low-carbohydrate and Low-fat Diets Affect Fasting Lipids and Postprandial Lipemia Differently in Overweight Men

The primary purpose of this study was to compare the effects of a very low-carbohydrate and a low-fat diet on fasting blood lipids and postprandial lipemia in overweight men. In a balanced, randomized, crossover design, overweight men consumed 2 experimental diets for 2 consecutive 6-wk periods. One was a very low-carbohydrate (<10% energy as carbohydrate) diet and the other a low-fat (<30% energy as fat) diet. Both diets had the same effect on serum total cholesterol, serum insulin, and homeostasis model analysis-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Neither diet affected serum HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) or oxidized LDL (oxLDL) concentrations. The very low-carbohydrate diet was more effective at improving characteristics of the metabolic syndrome as shown by a decrease in fasting serum TAG, the TAG/HDL-C ratio, postprandial lipemia, serum glucose, an increase in LDL particle size, and also greater weight loss.

Weight Loss Leads to Reductions in Inflammatory Biomarkers After a Very Low-carbohydrate and Low-fat Diet in Overweight Men

The primary purpose of this study was to compare a very low-carbohydrate and a low-fat weight loss diet on inflammatory biomarkers in overweight men. Both the low-fat and the very low-carbohydrate diet resulted in significant decreases in absolute concentrations of hsTNF-alpha, hsIL-6, hs-CRP and sICAM-1. There was no significant change in absolute sP-selectin concentrations after either diet. In summary, energy-restricted low-fat and very low-carbohydrate diets both significantly decreased several biomarkers of inflammation. These data suggest that in the short-term weight loss is primarily the driving force underlying the reductions in most of the inflammatory biomarkers.

Saturated Fat, Carbohydrate, and Cardiovascular Disease

The substitution of dietary polyunsaturated fat for saturated fat has been shown to lower CVD risk, there are few epidemiologic or clinical trial data to support a benefit of replacing saturated fat with carbohydrate. Furthermore, particularly given the differential effects of dietary saturated fats and carbohydrates on concentrations of larger and smaller LDL particles, respectively, dietary efforts to improve the increasing burden of CVD risk associated with atherogenic dyslipidemia should primarily emphasize the limitation of refined carbohydrate intakes and a reduction in excess adiposity.