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.