Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2011 Jan 20:10:8.
doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-10-8.

Improvements in vascular health by a low-fat diet, but not a high-fat diet, are mediated by changes in adipocyte biology

Krista A Varady  1 , Surabhi Bhutani, Monica C Klempel, Shane A Phillips
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Improvements in vascular health by a low-fat diet, but not a high-fat diet, are mediated by changes in adipocyte biology

Krista A Varady et al. Nutr J. .

Abstract

Background: Low-fat (LF) and high-fat (HF) weight loss diets improve brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in obese individuals, although results are conflicting. Moreover, the role that adipose tissue plays in mediating these diet-related effects are unknown.

Objective: This study examined how modulations in FMD by HF and LF diets relate to changes in adipocyte parameters.

Design: Obese subjects (n = 17) were randomized to a HF diet (60% kcal as fat) or a LF diet (25% kcal as fat) for 6 weeks. Both groups were restricted by 25% of energy needs.

Results: Body weight decreased (P <0.05) in both groups (HF: -6.6 ± 0.5 kg, LF: -4.7 ± 0.6 kg). Fat mass and waist circumference were reduced (P <0.05) in the LF group only (-4.4 ± 0.3 kg; -3.6 ± 0.8 cm, respectively). FMD improved (P <0.05) in the LF group (7.4 ± 0.8% to 9.8 ± 0.8; 32% increase) and was impaired in the HF group (8.5 ± 0.6% to 6.9 ± 0.7; 19% reduction). Increases in plasma adiponectin (P <0.05, 16 ± 5%), and decreases in resistin (P <0.05, -26 ± 11%), were shown by the LF diet only. Greater decreases in leptin were observed with LF (-48 ± 9%) versus HF (-28 ± 12%) (P <0.05, diet × time). Increased FMD by the LF diet was associated with increased adiponectin, and decreased fat mass, waist circumference, leptin, and resistin.

Conclusion: Beneficial modulations in vascular health by LF diets may be mediated by improvements in adipocyte parameters.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Study flow chart.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Flow-mediated dilation during the 6-week trial. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. HF: high fat, LF: low fat. HF group (n = 9), LF group (n = 8). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. *P <0.05 for main effect of time.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Plasma adipokines during the 6-week trial. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. HF: high fat, LF: low fat. HF group (n = 9), LF group (n = 8). Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA. *P <0.05 for main effect of time.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Lavie CJ, Milani RV, Ventura HO. Obesity and cardiovascular disease: risk factor, paradox, and impact of weight loss. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;53:1925–32. doi: 10.1016/j.jacc.2008.12.068. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Borel JC, Roux-Lombard P, Tamisier R. et al.Endothelial dysfunction and specific inflammation in obesity hypoventilation syndrome. PLoS One. 2009;4:e6733. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0006733. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Jambrik Z, Venneri L, Varga A, Rigo F, Borges A, Picano E. Peripheral vascular endothelial function testing for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. Am Heart J. 2004;148:684–9. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2004.04.016. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Mather KJ, Steinberg HO, Baron AD. Weight loss and endothelial function in obesity. Diabetes Care. 2003;26:1927–8. doi: 10.2337/diacare.26.6.1927. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Volek JS, Ballard KD, Silvestre R. et al.Effects of dietary carbohydrate restriction versus low-fat diet on flow-mediated dilation. Metabolism. 2009;58:1769–77. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2009.06.005. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types