Study focuses on low-carb, high-fat diet effect on older populations


Date:
August 20, 2020
Source:
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Summary:
Medical researchers noted improvements in body composition, fat
distribution and metabolic health in response to an eight-week
very low- carbohydrate diet. Older adults with obesity are at
particularly high risk of developing cardiometabolic disease
such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Rather than
total fat mass, deposition of fat in certain areas, such as the
abdominal cavity and skeletal muscle, may confer this greatest
risk of disease development.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study, published in Nutrition and Metabolism, from researchers with
the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Nutrition Obesity Research
Center observed improvements in body composition, fat distribution and metabolic health in response to an eight-week, very low-carbohydrate diet.


========================================================================== Older adults with obesity are at particularly high risk of developing cardiometabolic disease such as Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular
disease.

Rather than total fat mass, deposition of fat in certain areas, such as
the abdominal cavity and skeletal muscle, may confer this greatest risk
of disease development.

The study's lead author is Amy Goss, Ph.D., RDN, an assistant professor
with UAB's Department of Nutrition Sciences. Goss says her team aimed
to determine if a very low-carbohydrate, or VLCD, high-fat diet would
deplete these fat depots and preserve lean mass without intentional
caloric restriction in older adults with obesity, thereby improving
outcomes related to cardiometabolic disease, such as insulin sensitivity
and the lipid profile.

"After the eight-week intervention, despite the recommendation to consume
a weight-maintaining diet, the group consuming the very low-carbohydrate
diet lost more weight and total fat mass than the control diet group,"
Goss said.

Egg consumption was an important part of the VLCD prescription. Goss
and her team provided eggs to the participants in this diet group and
asked them to consume at least three per day.

"While eggs were a part of this study, we can't conclude that our findings
are a result of daily egg consumption; but I think what we can conclude
is that whole eggs can be incorporated into the diet in a healthful way
without adversely impacting blood cholesterol in older adults," she said.



==========================================================================
The primary difference in fat lost between the two groups was from the abdominal cavity and the skeletal muscle depots.

"We also found significant improvements in the overall lipid profile
that would reflect decreased risk of cardiovascular disease," Goss
said. "Further, insulin sensitivity improved in response to the very low-carbohydrate diet reflecting reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes. Overall,
we observed improvements in body composition, fat distribution and
metabolic health in response to an eight- week, very low-carbohydrate
diet." VLCD effect on diabetes Goss says VLCDs are a therapeutic option
for many conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, obesity and non-alcoholic
fatty liver disease.

"This study extends previous research to show that it can be a
safe, therapeutic option for older adults in their 70s experiencing
obesity," she said. "This is the first study to demonstrate depletion
of 'metabolically harmful' fat depots while preserving skeletal muscle
during weight loss in response to a VLCD in older adults." Goss adds
that there is quite a bit of evidence about the benefits of a very low-carbohydrate diet in younger populations, and this study was one
of the first to test this dietary approach to improve outcomes related
to obesity in adults older than age 65 -- a population at particularly
high risk of other diseases and in need of therapeutic interventions
to improve health while preserving skeletal muscle mass to prevent or
delay functional decline with age.



==========================================================================
A good or bad egg? "Historically, eggs have received a bad rap beginning
with the nutrition guidelines on egg consumption set forth by the
American Heart Association in 1968," Goss said. "It was recommended that
no more than three whole eggs be consumed each week." Goss adds that the concern stemmed from the cholesterol and saturated fat content of the egg
yolk. Since then, these recommendations have loosened because more recent research demonstrated the negligible impact of dietary cholesterol on
blood cholesterol. And just this month, the Dietary Guideline Advisory Committee issued recommendations to increase the consumption of eggs
across the lifespan, including pregnant and lactating women, and also
as a first food for infants and toddlers.

"This historical first for the Dietary Guidelines Committee recognized
eggs as an important, nutrient-rich food source, as eggs are a rich
source of protein, choline, B12, selenium, vitamin D and a long list of
other nutrients vital to growth and development as well as maintenance
of muscle mass," Goss said.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
University_of_Alabama_at_Birmingham. Original written by Adam Pope. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Amy M Goss, Barbara Gower, Taraneh Soleymani, Mariah Stewart, May
Pendergrass, Mark Lockhart, Olivia Krantz, Shima Dowla, Nikki
Bush, Valene Garr Barry, Kevin R. Fontaine. Effects of weight loss
during a very low carbohydrate diet on specific adipose tissue
depots and insulin sensitivity in older adults with obesity:
a randomized clinical trial.

Nutrition & Metabolism, 2020; 17 (1) DOI: 10.1186/s12986-020-00481-9 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200820151337.htm

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