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Ludwig DS, Ebbeling CB, Friedman MI. Caution needed on causal inferences in obesity. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2024. [PMID: 38706387 DOI: 10.1002/oby.24050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Mark I Friedman
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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Pacheco LS, Tobias DK, Li Y, Bhupathiraju SN, Willett WC, Ludwig DS, Ebbeling CB, Haslam DE, Drouin-Chartier JP, Hu FB, Guasch-Ferré M. Corrigendum to 'Sugar-sweetened or artificially-sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity, and risk of cardiovascular disease in adults: a prospective cohort study'The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 119 issue 3 (2024) 669-681. Am J Clin Nutr 2024; 119:1376. [PMID: 38522480 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/26/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lorena S Pacheco
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Deirdre K Tobias
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Yanping Li
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Shilpa N Bhupathiraju
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Walter C Willett
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - David S Ludwig
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Danielle E Haslam
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; Centre Nutrition Santé et Societé (NUTRISS), Institut Sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnnels (INAF), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Frank B Hu
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Marta Guasch-Ferré
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Public Health and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Wong JMW, Ludwig DS, Allison DB, Baidwan N, Bielak L, Chiu CY, Dickinson SL, Golzarri-Arroyo L, Heymsfield SB, Holmes L, Jansen LT, Lesperance D, Mehta T, Sandman M, Steltz SK, Wong WW, Yu S, Ebbeling CB. Design and conduct of a randomized controlled feeding trial in a residential setting with mitigation for COVID-19. Contemp Clin Trials 2024; 140:107490. [PMID: 38458559 DOI: 10.1016/j.cct.2024.107490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/10/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evaluating effects of different macronutrient diets in randomized trials requires well defined infrastructure and rigorous methods to ensure intervention fidelity and adherence. METHODS This controlled feeding study comprised two phases. During a Run-in phase (14-15 weeks), study participants (18-50 years, BMI, ≥27 kg/m2) consumed a very-low-carbohydrate (VLC) diet, with home delivery of prepared meals, at an energy level to promote 15 ± 3% weight loss. During a Residential phase (13 weeks), participants resided at a conference center. They received a eucaloric VLC diet for three weeks and then were randomized to isocaloric test diets for 10 weeks: VLC (5% energy from carbohydrate, 77% from fat), high-carbohydrate (HC)-Starch (57%, 25%; including 20% energy from refined grains), or HC-Sugar (57%, 25%; including 20% sugar). Outcomes included measures of body composition and energy expenditure, chronic disease risk factors, and variables pertaining to physiological mechanisms. Six cores provided infrastructure for implementing standardized protocols: Recruitment, Diet and Meal Production, Participant Support, Assessments, Regulatory Affairs and Data Management, and Statistics. The first participants were enrolled in May 2018. Participants residing at the conference center at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic completed the study, with each core implementing mitigation plans. RESULTS Before early shutdown, 77 participants were randomized, and 70 completed the trial (65% of planned completion). Process measures indicated integrity to protocols for weighing menu items, within narrow tolerance limits, and participant adherence, assessed by direct observation and continuous glucose monitoring. CONCLUSION Available data will inform future research, albeit with less statistical power than originally planned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M W Wong
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - David B Allison
- Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | - Navneet Baidwan
- Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States of America
| | - Lisa Bielak
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America
| | - Chia-Ying Chiu
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Acute Critical Care, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States of America
| | - Stephanie L Dickinson
- Indiana University School of Public Health, Bloomington, IN, United States of America
| | | | - Steven B Heymsfield
- Metabolism & Body Composition Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Lauren Holmes
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America
| | - Lisa T Jansen
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America
| | - Donna Lesperance
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America
| | - Tapan Mehta
- Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, United States of America
| | - Megan Sandman
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America
| | - Sarah K Steltz
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America
| | - William W Wong
- USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States of America
| | - Shui Yu
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, United States of America; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States of America.
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Soto-Mota A, Jansen LT, Norwitz NG, Pereira MA, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. Physiologic Adaptation to Macronutrient Change Distorts Findings from Short Dietary Trials: Reanalysis of a Metabolic Ward Study. J Nutr 2024; 154:1080-1086. [PMID: 38128881 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
An influential 2-wk cross-over feeding trial without a washout period purported to show advantages of a low-fat diet (LFD) compared with a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) for weight control. In contrast to several other macronutrient trials, the diet order effect was originally reported as not significant. In light of a new analysis by the original investigative group identifying an order effect, we aimed to examine, in a reanalysis of publicly available data (16 of 20 original participants; 7 female; mean BMI, 27.8 kg/m2), the validity of the original results and the claims that trial data oppose the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity (CIM). We found that energy intake on the LCD was much lower when this diet was consumed first compared with second (a difference of -1164 kcal/d, P = 3.6 × 10-13); the opposite pattern was observed for the LFD (924 kcal/d, P = 2.0 × 10-16). This carry-over effect was significant (P interaction = 0.0004) whereas the net dietary effect was not (P = 0.4). Likewise, the between-arm difference (LCD - LFD) was -320 kcal/d in the first period and +1771 kcal/d in the second. Body fat decreased with consumption of the LCD first and increased with consumption of this diet second (-0.69 ± 0.33 compared with 0.57 ± 0.32 kg, P = 0.007). LCD-first participants had higher β-hydroxybutyrate levels while consuming the LCD and lower respiratory quotients while consuming LFD when compared with LFD-first participants on their respective diets. Change in insulin secretion as assessed by C-peptide in the first diet period predicted higher energy intake and less fat loss in the second period. These findings, which tend to support rather than oppose the CIM, suggest that differential (unequal) carry-over effects and short duration, with no washout period, preclude causal inferences regarding chronic macronutrient effects from this trial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Soto-Mota
- Metabolic Diseases Research Unit. National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran. Mexico City, Mexico; Tecnologico de Monterrey. School of Medicine. Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Lisa T Jansen
- Department of Dietetics & Nutrition, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States; Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | | | - Mark A Pereira
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MN, United States
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA, United States
| | - David S Ludwig
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA, United States; Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen.
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Soto-Mota A, Jansen LT, Norwitz NG, Pereira MA, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. Corrigendum to "Physiologic Adaptation to Macronutrient Change Distorts Findings from Short Dietary Trials: Reanalysis of a Metabolic Ward Study" [J Nutr 154 (2024) 1080-1086]. J Nutr 2024; 154:1486. [PMID: 38609206 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/14/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Soto-Mota
- Metabolic Diseases Research Unit. National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran. Mexico City, Mexico; Tecnologico de Monterrey. School of Medicine. Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Lisa T Jansen
- Department of Dietetics & Nutrition, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States; Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | | | - Mark A Pereira
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MN, United States
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA, United States
| | - David S Ludwig
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA, United States; Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen.
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Soto-Mota A, Flores-Jurado Y, Norwitz NG, Feldman D, Pereira MA, Danaei G, Ludwig DS. Reply to P Phalak et al. Am J Clin Nutr 2024; 119:1092-1093. [PMID: 38569780 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Soto-Mota
- From the Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, National Institute for Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico; Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Yuscely Flores-Jurado
- From the Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, National Institute for Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico; National Autonomous University of Mexico, School of Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | | | - Mark A Pereira
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MN
| | | | - David S Ludwig
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA; New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, MA.
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Pacheco LS, Tobias DK, Li Y, Bhupathiraju SN, Willett WC, Ludwig DS, Ebbeling CB, Haslam DE, Drouin-Chartier JP, Hu FB, Guasch-Ferré M. Sugar-sweetened or artificially-sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity, and risk of cardiovascular disease in adults: a prospective cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr 2024; 119:669-681. [PMID: 38185281 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 12/18/2023] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whether physical activity could mitigate the adverse impacts of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) or artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) on incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains uncertain. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to examine the independent and joint associations between SSB or ASB consumption and physical activity and risk of CVD, defined as fatal and nonfatal coronary artery disease and stroke, in adults from 2 United States-based prospective cohort studies. METHODS Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs between SSB or ASB intake and physical activity with incident CVD among 65,730 females in the Nurses' Health Study (1980-2016) and 39,418 males in the Health Professional's Follow-up Study (1986-2016), who were free from chronic diseases at baseline. SSBs and ASBs were assessed every 4-y and physical activity biannually. RESULTS A total of 13,269 CVD events were ascertained during 3,001,213 person-years of follow-up. Compared with those who never/rarely consumed SSBs or ASBs, the HR for CVD for participants consuming ≥2 servings/d was 1.21 (95% CI: 1.12, 1.32; P-trend < 0.001) for SSBs and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.09; P-trend = 0.06) for those consuming ≥2 servings/d of ASBs. The HR for CVD per 1 serving increment of SSB per day was 1.18 (95% CI: 1.10, 1.26) and 1.12 (95% CI: 1.04, 1.20) for participants meeting and not meeting physical activity guidelines (≥7.5 compared with <7.5 MET h/wk), respectively. Compared with participants who met physical activity guidelines and never/rarely consumed SSBs, the HR for CVD was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.37, 1.57) for participants not meeting physical activity guidelines and consuming ≥2 servings/wk of SSBs. No significant associations were observed for ASB when stratified by physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Higher SSB intake was associated with CVD risk regardless of physical activity levels. These results support current recommendations to limit the intake of SSBs even for physically active individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena S Pacheco
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
| | - Deirdre K Tobias
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Yanping Li
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Shilpa N Bhupathiraju
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Walter C Willett
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - David S Ludwig
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Danielle E Haslam
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada; Centre Nutrition Santé et Societé (NUTRISS), Institut Sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnnels (INAF), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Frank B Hu
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Marta Guasch-Ferré
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Public Health and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Soto-Mota A, Flores-Jurado Y, Norwitz NG, Feldman D, Pereira MA, Danaei G, Ludwig DS. Increased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol on a low-carbohydrate diet in adults with normal but not high body weight: A meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr 2024; 119:740-747. [PMID: 38237807 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2024.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol change with consumption of a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) is highly variable. Identifying the source of this heterogeneity could guide clinical decision-making. OBJECTIVES To evaluate LDL cholesterol change in randomized controlled trials involving LCDs, with a focus on body mass index (BMI) in kg/m2. METHODS Three electronic indexes (Pubmed, EBSCO, and Scielo) were searched for studies between 1 January, 2003 and 20 December, 2022. Two independent reviewers identified randomized controlled trials involving adults consuming <130 g/d carbohydrate and reporting BMI and LDL cholesterol change or equivalent data. Two investigators extracted relevant data, which were validated by other investigators. Data were analyzed using a random-effects model and contrasted with results of pooled individual participant data. RESULTS Forty-one trials with 1379 participants and a mean intervention duration of 19.4 wk were included. In a meta-regression accounting for 51.4% of the observed variability on LCDs, mean baseline BMI had a strong inverse association with LDL cholesterol change [β = -2.5 mg/dL/BMI unit, 95% confidence interval (CI): -3.7, -1.4], whereas saturated fat amount was not significantly associated with LDL cholesterol change. For trials with mean baseline BMI <25, LDL cholesterol increased by 41 mg/dL (95% CI: 19.6, 63.3) on the LCD. By contrast, for trials with a mean of BMI 25-<35, LDL cholesterol did not change, and for trials with a mean BMI ≥35, LDL cholesterol decreased by 7 mg/dL (95% CI: -12.1, -1.3). Using individual participant data, the relationship between BMI and LDL cholesterol change was not observed on higher-carbohydrate diets. CONCLUSIONS A substantial increase in LDL cholesterol is likely for individuals with low but not high BMI with consumption of an LCD, findings that may help guide individualized nutritional management of cardiovascular disease risk. As carbohydrate restriction tends to improve other lipid and nonlipid risk factors, the clinical significance of isolated LDL cholesterol elevation in this context warrants investigation. This trial was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42022299278.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Soto-Mota
- Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, National Institute for Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico; Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Yuscely Flores-Jurado
- Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, National Institute for Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico; National Autonomous University of Mexico, School of Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - David Feldman
- Citizen Science Foundation, Las Vegas, NV, United States
| | - Mark A Pereira
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MN, United States
| | - Goodarz Danaei
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - David S Ludwig
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, United States.
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Soto-Mota A, Jansen LT, Norwitz NG, Pereira MA, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. Reply to C M Sciarrillo et al. J Nutr 2024; 154:1061-1063. [PMID: 38316213 DOI: 10.1016/j.tjnut.2024.01.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 01/25/2024] [Accepted: 01/27/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Soto-Mota
- From the Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, National Institute of Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico; The Tecnologico de Monterrey, School of Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Lisa T Jansen
- The Department of Dietetics & Nutrition, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States; The Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | | | - Mark A Pereira
- The Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MN, United States
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- The Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; The New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA, United States
| | - David S Ludwig
- The Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; The New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston MA, United States; The Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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Abstract
Worldwide dietary guidelines in the late 20th century promoted a low-fat diet, based, in part, on the notion that dietary fat, the most energy dense macronutrient, causes excess weight gain. However, high-quality evidence accumulating since then refute a direct association between dietary fat and adiposity. Moreover, substitution of carbohydrates for unsaturated fat can increase insulin resistance and cardiometabolic disease, especially among populations with highly prevalent insulin resistance. In this context, the recent WHO conditional recommendation to carry forward the guidance to limit dietary fat to ≤30% seems ill advised and should be reconsidered.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, MA, United States; Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Frank B Hu
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, MA, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Alice H Lichtenstein
- Cardiovascular Research Laboratory, Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Walter C Willett
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, MA, United States; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States.
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Ludwig DS. Carbohydrate-insulin model: does the conventional view of obesity reverse cause and effect? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220211. [PMID: 37661740 PMCID: PMC10475871 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 09/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Conventional obesity treatment, based on the First Law of Thermodynamics, assumes that excess body fat gain is driven by overeating, and that all calories are metabolically alike in this regard. Hence, to lose weight one must ultimately eat less and move more. However, this prescription rarely succeeds over the long term, in part because calorie restriction elicits predictable biological responses that oppose ongoing weight loss. The carbohydrate-insulin model posits the opposite causal direction: overeating doesn't drive body fat increase; instead, the process of storing excess fat drives overeating. A diet high in rapidly digestible carbohydrates raises the insulin-to-glucagon ratio, shifting energy partitioning towards storage in adipose, leaving fewer calories for metabolically active and fuel sensing tissues. Consequently, hunger increases, and metabolic rate slows in the body's attempt to conserve energy. A small shift in substrate partitioning though this mechanism could account for the slow but progressive weight gain characteristic of common forms of obesity. From this perspective, the conventional calorie-restricted, low-fat diet amounts to symptomatic treatment, failing to target the underlying predisposition towards excess fat deposition. A dietary strategy to lower insulin secretion may increase the effectiveness of long-term weight management and chronic disease prevention. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Causes of obesity: theories, conjectures and evidence (Part II)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S. Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Wan Y, Tobias DK, Dennis KK, Guasch-Ferré M, Sun Q, Rimm EB, Hu FB, Ludwig DS, Devinsky O, Willett WC. Association between changes in carbohydrate intake and long term weight changes: prospective cohort study. BMJ 2023; 382:e073939. [PMID: 37758268 PMCID: PMC10523278 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2022-073939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/30/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To comprehensively examine the associations between changes in carbohydrate intake and weight change at four year intervals. DESIGN Prospective cohort study. SETTING Nurses' Health Study (1986-2010), Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2015), and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (1986-2014). PARTICIPANTS 136 432 men and women aged 65 years or younger and free of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, neurodegenerative disorders, gastric conditions, chronic kidney disease, and systemic lupus erythematosus before baseline. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Weight change within a four year period. RESULTS The final analyses included 46 722 women in the Nurses' Health Study, 67 186 women in the Nurses' Health Study II, and 22 524 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. On average, participants gained 1.5 kg (5th to 95th centile -6.8 to 10.0) every four years, amounting to 8.8 kg on average over 24 years. Among men and women, increases in glycemic index and glycemic load were positively associated with weight gain. For example, a 100 g/day increase in starch or added sugar was associated with 1.5 kg and 0.9 kg greater weight gain over four years, respectively, whereas a 10 g/day increase in fiber was associated with 0.8 kg less weight gain. Increased carbohydrate intake from whole grains (0.4 kg less weight gain per 100 g/day increase), fruit (1.6 kg less weight gain per 100 g/day increase), and non-starchy vegetables (3.0 kg less weight gain per 100 g/day increase) was inversely associated with weight gain, whereas increased intake from refined grains (0.8 kg more weight gain per 100 g/day increase) and starchy vegetables (peas, corn, and potatoes) (2.6 kg more weight gain per 100 g/day increase) was positively associated with weight gain. In substitution analyses, replacing refined grains, starchy vegetables, and sugar sweetened beverages with equal servings of whole grains, fruit, and non-starchy vegetables was associated with less weight gain. The magnitude of these associations was stronger among participants with overweight or obesity compared with those with normal weight (P<0.001 for interaction). Most of these associations were also stronger among women. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study highlight the potential importance of carbohydrate quality and source for long term weight management, especially for people with excessive body weight. Limiting added sugar, sugar sweetened beverages, refined grains, and starchy vegetables in favor of whole grains, fruit, and non-starchy vegetables may support efforts to control weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Wan
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Deirdre K Tobias
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kristine K Dennis
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marta Guasch-Ferré
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Qi Sun
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eric B Rimm
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Frank B Hu
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David S Ludwig
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Orrin Devinsky
- Department of Neurology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Walter C Willett
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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13
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Heindel JJ, Alvarez JA, Atlas E, Cave MC, Chatzi VL, Collier D, Corkey B, Fischer D, Goran MI, Howard S, Kahan S, Kayhoe M, Koliwad S, Kotz CM, La Merrill M, Lobstein T, Lumeng C, Ludwig DS, Lustig RH, Myers P, Nadal A, Trasande L, Redman LM, Rodeheffer MS, Sargis RM, Stephens JM, Ziegler TR, Blumberg B. Obesogens and Obesity: State-of-the-Science and Future Directions Summary from a Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptors Strategies Workshop. Am J Clin Nutr 2023; 118:329-337. [PMID: 37230178 PMCID: PMC10731763 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.05.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2023] [Revised: 05/13/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
On September 7 and 8, 2022, Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptors Strategies, an Environmental Health Sciences program, convened a scientific workshop of relevant stakeholders involved in obesity, toxicology, or obesogen research to review the state of the science regarding the role of obesogenic chemicals that might be contributing to the obesity pandemic. The workshop's objectives were to examine the evidence supporting the hypothesis that obesogens contribute to the etiology of human obesity; to discuss opportunities for improved understanding, acceptance, and dissemination of obesogens as contributors to the obesity pandemic; and to consider the need for future research and potential mitigation strategies. This report details the discussions, key areas of agreement, and future opportunities to prevent obesity. The attendees agreed that environmental obesogens are real, significant, and a contributor at some degree to weight gain at the individual level and to the global obesity and metabolic disease pandemic at a societal level; moreover, it is at least, in theory, remediable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerrold J Heindel
- Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies, Boseman, Montana, United States.
| | - Jessica A Alvarez
- Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | | | - Matthew C Cave
- Department of Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Louisville, Lousiville, KY, United States
| | - Vaia Lida Chatzi
- Department of Population and Public Health Sciences, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - David Collier
- Department of Pediatrics, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States
| | - Barbara Corkey
- Chobanian and Avedesian School of Medicine, Boston University, Boston, MA, United States
| | | | - Michael I Goran
- Department of Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine, USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Sarah Howard
- Healthy Environment and Endocrine Disruptor Strategies, Boseman, Montana, United States
| | - Scott Kahan
- National Center for Weight and Wellness, Johns Hopkins Blumberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Suneil Koliwad
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Catherine M Kotz
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota and Minneapolis VA Health Care System, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | - Michele La Merrill
- Department of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, CA, United States
| | - Tim Lobstein
- World Obesity Federation, London, United Kingdom
| | - Carey Lumeng
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Robert H Lustig
- Department of Physiology, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, Elche, Spain
| | - Pete Myers
- Environmental Health Sciences, Boseman, MT, United States
| | - Angel Nadal
- Department of Physiology, Miguel Hernandez University of Elche, Elche, Spain
| | - Leonardo Trasande
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, United States; Department of Population Health, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Leanne M Redman
- Department of Reproductive Endocrinology & Women's Health, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Matthew S Rodeheffer
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
| | - Robert M Sargis
- Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Jacqueline M Stephens
- Department of Pediatrics, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, United States
| | - Thomas R Ziegler
- Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, United States
| | - Bruce Blumberg
- Department of Developmental and Cell BiologyUniversity of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, United States
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14
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Ludwig DS, Holst JJ. Childhood Obesity at the Crossroads of Science and Social Justice. JAMA 2023:2804576. [PMID: 37126323 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2023.7592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
This Viewpoint considers the best approaches for treating obesity in youth and argues that better funding is needed for new dietary treatments and reimbursement for behavioral interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Jens J Holst
- Department of Biomedical Sciences and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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15
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Pacheco LS, Tobias DK, Li Y, Bhupathiraju SN, Willett WC, Ludwig DS, Ebbeling CB, Haslam DE, Drouin-Chartier JP, Hu FB, Guasch-Ferré M. Sugar- or artificially-sweetened beverage consumption, physical activity, and risk of cardiovascular disease in US adults. medRxiv 2023:2023.04.17.23288711. [PMID: 37162926 PMCID: PMC10168425 DOI: 10.1101/2023.04.17.23288711] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
Background The extent to which physical activity attenuates the detrimental effects of sugar (SSBs)- or artificially-sweetened beverages (ASBs) on the risk of cardiovascular disease is unknown. Methods We used Cox proportional-hazards models to calculate hazard ratios and 95% confidence interval [HR (CI)] between SSB or ASB intake and physical activity with cardiovascular disease risk among 65,730 women in the Nurses' Health Study (1980-2016) and 39,418 men in the Health Professional's Follow-up Study (1986-2016), who were free from chronic diseases at baseline. SSBs and ASBs were assessed every 4-years and physical activity biannually. Results A total of 13,269 cardiovascular events were ascertained during 3,001,213 person-years of follow-up. Compared with those that never/rarely consumed SSBs or ASBs, HR and 95% CI for cardiovascular disease for participants consuming ≥2 servings/day were 1.21 (95% CI,1.12 to 1.32; P-trend<0.001) and 1.03 (95% CI, 0.97 to 1.09; P-trend=0.06), respectively. In the joint analyses, for participants meeting and not meeting physical activity guidelines (<7.5 vs ≥7.5 MET-h/week) as well as consuming ≥2 servings/day of SSBs or ASBs, the HRs for cardiovascular disease were 1.15 (95% CI, 1.08 to 1.23) and 0.96 (95% CI, 0.91 to 1.02), and 1.47 (95% CI, 1.37 to 1.57) and 1.29 (95% CI, 1.22 to 1.37) respectively, compared with participants who met physical activity guidelines and never/rarely consumed these beverages. Similar patterns were observed when coronary heart disease and stroke were analyzed. Conclusions Our findings suggest that among physically active participants, higher SSB intake, but not ASBs, is associated with a higher cardiovascular risk. Our results support current recommendations to limit the intake of SSB and maintain adequate physical activity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorena S. Pacheco
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Deirdre K. Tobias
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Yanping Li
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shilpa N. Bhupathiraju
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Walter C. Willett
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Preventive Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David S. Ludwig
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cara B. Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Danielle E. Haslam
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jean-Philippe Drouin-Chartier
- Faculté de Pharmacie, Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Centre Nutrition Santé et Societé (NUTRISS), Institut Sur la Nutrition et les Aliments Fonctionnnels (INAF), Université Laval, Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
| | - Frank B. Hu
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marta Guasch-Ferré
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Public Health and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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16
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Wong MC, Bennett JP, Leong LT, Tian IY, Liu YE, Kelly NN, McCarthy C, Wong JMW, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS, Irving BA, Scott MC, Stampley J, Davis B, Johannsen N, Matthews R, Vincellette C, Garber AK, Maskarinec G, Weiss E, Rood J, Varanoske AN, Pasiakos SM, Heymsfield SB, Shepherd JA. Monitoring body composition change for intervention studies with advancing 3D optical imaging technology in comparison to dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Am J Clin Nutr 2023; 117:802-813. [PMID: 36796647 PMCID: PMC10315406 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Recent 3-dimensional optical (3DO) imaging advancements have provided more accessible, affordable, and self-operating opportunities for assessing body composition. 3DO is accurate and precise in clinical measures made by DXA. However, the sensitivity for monitoring body composition change over time with 3DO body shape imaging is unknown. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the ability of 3DO in monitoring body composition changes across multiple intervention studies. METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed using intervention studies on healthy adults that were complimentary to the cross-sectional study, Shape Up! Adults. Each participant received a DXA (Hologic Discovery/A system) and 3DO (Fit3D ProScanner) scan at the baseline and follow-up. 3DO meshes were digitally registered and reposed using Meshcapade to standardize the vertices and pose. Using an established statistical shape model, each 3DO mesh was transformed into principal components, which were used to predict whole-body and regional body composition values using published equations. Body composition changes (follow-up minus the baseline) were compared with those of DXA using a linear regression analysis. RESULTS The analysis included 133 participants (45 females) in 6 studies. The mean (SD) length of follow-up was 13 (5) wk (range: 3-23 wk). Agreement between 3DO and DXA (R2) for changes in total FM, total FFM, and appendicular lean mass were 0.86, 0.73, and 0.70, with root mean squared errors (RMSEs) of 1.98 kg, 1.58 kg, and 0.37 kg, in females and 0.75, 0.75, and 0.52 with RMSEs of 2.31 kg, 1.77 kg, and 0.52 kg, in males, respectively. Further adjustment with demographic descriptors improved the 3DO change agreement to changes observed with DXA. CONCLUSIONS Compared with DXA, 3DO was highly sensitive in detecting body shape changes over time. The 3DO method was sensitive enough to detect even small changes in body composition during intervention studies. The safety and accessibility of 3DO allows users to self-monitor on a frequent basis throughout interventions. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03637855 (Shape Up! Adults; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03637855); NCT03394664 (Macronutrients and Body Fat Accumulation: A Mechanistic Feeding Study; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03394664); NCT03771417 (Resistance Exercise and Low-Intensity Physical Activity Breaks in Sedentary Time to Improve Muscle and Cardiometabolic Health; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03771417); NCT03393195 (Time Restricted Eating on Weight Loss; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03393195), and NCT04120363 (Trial of Testosterone Undecanoate for Optimizing Performance During Military Operations; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04120363).
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael C Wong
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States; Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Jonathan P Bennett
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States; Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Lambert T Leong
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Isaac Y Tian
- Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United States
| | - Yong E Liu
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Nisa N Kelly
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Cassidy McCarthy
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Julia M W Wong
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Brian A Irving
- Louisiana State University, School of Kinesiology, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Matthew C Scott
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States; Louisiana State University, School of Kinesiology, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - James Stampley
- Louisiana State University, School of Kinesiology, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Brett Davis
- Louisiana State University, School of Kinesiology, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Neil Johannsen
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States; Louisiana State University, School of Kinesiology, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Rachel Matthews
- Louisiana State University, School of Kinesiology, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Cullen Vincellette
- Louisiana State University, School of Kinesiology, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Andrea K Garber
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Gertraud Maskarinec
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States
| | - Ethan Weiss
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Jennifer Rood
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, United States
| | - Alyssa N Varanoske
- Military Nutrition Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, United States; Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
| | - Stefan M Pasiakos
- Military Nutrition Division, U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine, Natick, MA, United States
| | | | - John A Shepherd
- Department of Epidemiology, University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, United States; Department of Human Nutrition, Food and Animal Sciences, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI, United States.
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17
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Soto-Mota A, Pereira MA, Ebbeling CB, Aronica L, Ludwig DS. Evidence for the carbohydrate-insulin model in a reanalysis of the Diet Intervention Examining The Factors Interacting with Treatment Success (DIETFITS) trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2023; 117:599-606. [PMID: 36811468 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2022.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Diet Intervention Examining The Factors Interacting with Treatment Success (DIETFITS) trial demonstrated that meaningful weight loss can be achieved with either a "healthy low-carbohydrate diet" (LCD) or "healthy low-fat diet" (LFD). However, because both diets substantially decreased glycemic load (GL), the dietary factors mediating weight loss remain unclear. OBJECTIVES We aimed to explore the contribution of macronutrients and GL to weight loss in DIETFITS and examine a hypothesized relationship between GL and insulin secretion. DESIGN This study is a secondary data analysis of the DIETFITS trial, in which participants with overweight or obesity (aged 18-50 y) were randomized to a 12-mo LCD (N = 304) or LFD (N = 305). RESULTS Measures related to carbohydrate intake (total amount, glycemic index, added sugar, and fiber) showed strong associations with weight loss at 3-, 6-, and 12-mo time points in the full cohort, whereas those related to total fat intake showed weak to no associations. A biomarker of carbohydrate (triglyceride/HDL cholesterol ratio) predicted weight loss at all time points (3-mo: β [kg/biomarker z-score change] = 1.1, P = 3.5 × 10-9; 6-mo: β = 1.7, P = 1.1 × 10-9; and 12-mo: β = 2.6, P = 1.5 × 10-15), whereas that of fat (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol + HDL cholesterol) did not (all time points: P = NS). In a mediation model, GL explained most of the observed effect of total calorie intake on weight change. Dividing the cohort into quintiles of baseline insulin secretion and GL reduction revealed evidence of effect modification for weight loss, with P = 0.0009 at 3 mo, P = 0.01 at 6 mo, and P = 0.07 at 12 mo. CONCLUSIONS As predicted by the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity, weight loss in both diet groups of DIETFITS seems to have been driven by the reduction of GL more so than dietary fat or calories, an effect that may be most pronounced among those with high insulin secretion. These findings should be interpreted cautiously in view of the exploratory nature of this study. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01826591).
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Soto-Mota
- Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, National Institute for Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Tlalpan, Mexico City, Mexico; Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Mark A Pereira
- Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, MN, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lucia Aronica
- Stanford Prevention Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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18
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Pacheco LS, Tobias DK, Li Y, Bhupathiraju SN, Willett W, Ludwig DS, Ebbeling CB, Haslam D, Drouin-chartier JP, Hu FB, Guasch M. Abstract P152: Joint Association of Sugar- and Artificially-Sweetened Beverage Consumption and Physical Activity and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes in US Adults. Circulation 2023. [DOI: 10.1161/circ.147.suppl_1.p152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Background:
Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) or artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) and physical activity are independently associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk; however, it is unknown whether there is an interaction of SSB/ASB intake and physical activity on risk of T2D.
Methods:
We examined the independent and joint associations between habitual SSB/ASB intake and physical activity with incident T2D risk among 196,101 women and men from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS, 1980-2016), NHSII (1991-2017), and Health Professional’s Follow-up Study (HPFS, 1986-2016), who were free from chronic diseases at baseline. Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (HR; CI), adjusting for demographic and lifestyle T2D risk factors.
Results:
There were 20,430 incident T2D cases over follow-up of 36, 26, and 30 years in NHS, NHSII, and HPFS, respectively. In multivariable-adjusted models, we confirmed that participants with higher SSBs, ASBs and lower physical activity were independently at higher T2D risk, compared to lower intakes and higher activity levels. In joint analyses for these exposures, participants who did not meet physical activity guidelines and consumed gt 2 servings/day of SSBs had a significantly higher risk of T2D than those who met physical activity guidelines and never/rarely consumed SSBs (1.51; 1.43, 1.60); we observed similar findings for ASBs: 1.29; 1.23, 1.36). Among participants who met physical activity guidelines, those who consumed gt 2 servings/day of SSBs had a HR of 1.23 (1.16, 1.30); the HR for ASBs was 1.07 (1.02, 1.13). Consistent results were observed for women and men.
Conclusions:
Long-term habitual intake of SSBs or ASBs combined with lower physical activity was associated with higher risk of T2D in three large prospective cohort studies. These findings suggest that even when individuals are physically active, higher consumption of SSBs is associated with a higher risk of T2D. Our results support recommendations and policies to limit the intake of SSB and increase physical activity levels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Yanping Li
- Harvard T.H. Chan Sch of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Frank B Hu
- HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH, Boston, MA
| | - Marta Guasch
- Harvard T.H. Chan Sch of Public Health, Boston, MA
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19
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Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. Treatment for childhood obesity: Using a biological model to inform dietary targets. J Pediatr 2022; 255:22-29. [PMID: 36509158 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2022.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
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20
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Ludwig DS, Ebbeling CB, Rimm EB. Carbohydrates, Insulin Secretion, and "Precision Nutrition". Diabetes Care 2022; 45:1303-1305. [PMID: 35653600 DOI: 10.2337/dci22-0009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.,Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Eric B Rimm
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
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21
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Stefan N, Sippel K, Heni M, Fritsche A, Wagner R, Jakob CEM, Preißl H, von Werder A, Khodamoradi Y, Borgmann S, Rüthrich MM, Hanses F, Haselberger M, Piepel C, Hower M, Vom Dahl J, Wille K, Römmele C, Vehreschild J, Stecher M, Solimena M, Roden M, Schürmann A, Gallwitz B, Hrabe de Angelis M, Ludwig DS, Schulze MB, Jensen BEO, Birkenfeld AL. Obesity and Impaired Metabolic Health Increase Risk of COVID-19-Related Mortality in Young and Middle-Aged Adults to the Level Observed in Older People: The LEOSS Registry. Front Med (Lausanne) 2022; 9:875430. [PMID: 35646955 PMCID: PMC9131026 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2022.875430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Advanced age, followed by male sex, by far poses the greatest risk for severe COVID-19. An unresolved question is the extent to which modifiable comorbidities increase the risk of COVID-19-related mortality among younger patients, in whom COVID-19-related hospitalization strongly increased in 2021. A total of 3,163 patients with SARS-COV-2 diagnosis in the Lean European Open Survey on SARS-CoV-2-Infected Patients (LEOSS) cohort were studied. LEOSS is a European non-interventional multi-center cohort study established in March 2020 to investigate the epidemiology and clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Data from hospitalized patients and those who received ambulatory care, with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test, were included in the study. An additive effect of obesity, diabetes and hypertension on the risk of mortality was observed, which was particularly strong in young and middle-aged patients. Compared to young and middle-aged (18-55 years) patients without obesity, diabetes and hypertension (non-obese and metabolically healthy; n = 593), young and middle-aged adult patients with all three risk parameters (obese and metabolically unhealthy; n = 31) had a similar adjusted increased risk of mortality [OR 7.42 (95% CI 1.55-27.3)] as older (56-75 years) non-obese and metabolically healthy patients [n = 339; OR 8.21 (95% CI 4.10-18.3)]. Furthermore, increased CRP levels explained part of the elevated risk of COVID-19-related mortality with age, specifically in the absence of obesity and impaired metabolic health. In conclusion, the modifiable risk factors obesity, diabetes and hypertension increase the risk of COVID-19-related mortality in young and middle-aged patients to the level of risk observed in advanced age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Stefan
- Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Katrin Sippel
- Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Martin Heni
- Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Andreas Fritsche
- Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Robert Wagner
- Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Carolin E M Jakob
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Hubert Preißl
- Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
| | - Alexander von Werder
- German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine II, School of Medicine, University Hospital Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Yascha Khodamoradi
- Department of Internal Medicine, Infectious Diseases, University Hospital Frankfurt, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Stefan Borgmann
- Department of Infectious Diseases and Infection Control, Ingolstadt Hospital, Ingolstadt, Germany
| | | | - Frank Hanses
- Emergency Department, University Hospital Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | | | - Christiane Piepel
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Hospital Bremen-Center, Bremen, Germany
| | - Martin Hower
- Department for Pneumology, Infectiology, Internal Medicine and Intensive Care, gGmbH, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Jürgen Vom Dahl
- Division of Cardiology, Hospital Maria Hilf Mönchengladbach, Mönchengladbach, Germany
| | - Kai Wille
- University Clinic for Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Palliative Care, University of Bochum, Minden, Germany
| | - Christoph Römmele
- Internal Medicine III - Gastroenterology and Infectious Diseases, University Hospital of Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Janne Vehreschild
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine I, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Cologne, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Melanie Stecher
- Department of Internal Medicine I, Faculty of Medicine, University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany.,German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner-Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michele Solimena
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany.,Helmholtz Center Munich, Faculty of Medicine, Paul Langerhans Institute Dresden, University Hospital, Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Michael Roden
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany.,Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Institute for Clinical Diabetology, German Diabetes Center, Leibniz Center for Diabetes Research at Heinrich- Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Annette Schürmann
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany.,Department of Experimental Diabetology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany
| | - Baptist Gallwitz
- Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin Hrabe de Angelis
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany.,Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Oberschleißheim, Germany.,TUM School of Life Sciences (SoLS), Chair of Experimental Genetics, Technische Universität München, Freising, Germany
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Matthias B Schulze
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany.,Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany
| | - Bjoern Erik Ole Jensen
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases, Medical Faculty and University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Andreas L Birkenfeld
- Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine IV, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.,German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Munich, Germany
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22
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Norwitz NG, Soto-Mota A, Kaplan B, Ludwig DS, Budoff M, Kontush A, Feldman D. The Lipid Energy Model: Reimagining Lipoprotein Function in the Context of Carbohydrate-Restricted Diets. Metabolites 2022; 12:metabo12050460. [PMID: 35629964 PMCID: PMC9147253 DOI: 10.3390/metabo12050460] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2022] [Revised: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
When lean people adopt carbohydrate-restricted diets (CRDs), they may develop a lipid profile consisting of elevated LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) with low triglycerides (TGs). The magnitude of this lipid profile correlates with BMI such that those with lower BMI exhibit larger increases in both LDL-C and HDL-C. The inverse association between BMI and LDL-C and HDL-C change on CRD contributed to the discovery of a subset of individuals—termed Lean Mass Hyper-Responders (LMHR)—who, despite normal pre-diet LDL-C, as compared to non-LMHR (mean levels of 148 and 145 mg/dL, respectively), exhibited a pronounced hyperlipidemic response to a CRD, with mean LDL-C and HDL-C levels increasing to 320 and 99 mg/dL, respectively, in the context of mean TG of 47 mg/dL. In some LMHR, LDL-C levels may be in excess of 500 mg/dL, again, with relatively normal pre-diet LDL-C and absent of genetic findings indicative of familial hypercholesterolemia in those who have been tested. The Lipid Energy Model (LEM) attempts to explain this metabolic phenomenon by positing that, with carbohydrate restriction in lean persons, the increased dependence on fat as a metabolic substrate drives increased hepatic secretion and peripheral uptake of TG contained within very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) by lipoprotein lipase, resulting in marked elevations of LDL-C and HDL-C, and low TG. Herein, we review the core features of the LEM. We review several existing lines of evidence supporting the model and suggest ways to test the model’s predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas G. Norwitz
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
- Correspondence: (N.G.N.); (D.F.)
| | - Adrian Soto-Mota
- Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, National Institute for Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Tlalpan, CDMX 14080, Mexico;
| | - Bob Kaplan
- Citizen Science Foundation, Las Vegas, NV 89139, USA;
| | - David S. Ludwig
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA;
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Matthew Budoff
- Lundquist Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA 90502, USA;
| | - Anatol Kontush
- National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), UMRS 1166 ICAN, Faculty of Medicine Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne University, 75013 Paris, France;
| | - David Feldman
- Citizen Science Foundation, Las Vegas, NV 89139, USA;
- Correspondence: (N.G.N.); (D.F.)
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23
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Ludwig DS, Norwitz NG, Feldman D, Soto-Mota A, Kalayjian T. Reply to M Mindrum and J Moore et al. Curr Dev Nutr 2022; 6:nzac029. [PMID: 35670750 PMCID: PMC9154284 DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzac029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Adrian Soto-Mota
- Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, National Institute for Medical Sciences
and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Tlalpan, Mexico
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24
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Thorkild I A Sørensen
- Department of Public Health and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
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25
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Ludwig DS, Lennerz BS, Mey JT. Reply to R Kirwan et al. Curr Dev Nutr 2022; 6:nzac038. [PMID: 35669043 PMCID: PMC9154227 DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzac038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Belinda S Lennerz
- Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jacob T Mey
- Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
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26
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Wong JMW, Yu S, Ma C, Mehta T, Dickinson SL, Allison DB, Heymsfield SB, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. Stimulated Insulin Secretion Predicts Changes in Body Composition Following Weight Loss in Adults with High BMI. J Nutr 2022; 152:655-662. [PMID: 34587231 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of obesity treatment is to promote loss of fat relative to lean mass. However, body composition changes with calorie restriction differ among individuals. OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that insulin secretion predicts body composition changes among young and middle-age adults with high BMI (in kg/m2) following major weight loss. METHODS Exploratory analyses were conducted with pre-randomization data from 2 large feeding trials: the Framingham, Boston, Bloomington, Birmingham, and Baylor study (FB4; n = 82, 43.9% women, BMI ≥27) and the Framingham State Food Study [(FS)2; n = 161, 69.6% women, BMI ≥25]. Participants in the 2 trials consumed calorie-restricted moderate-carbohydrate or very-low-carbohydrate diets to produce 12-18% weight loss in ∼14 wk or 10-14% in ∼10 wk, respectively. We determined insulin concentration 30 min after a 75-g oral glucose load (insulin-30) as a measure of insulin secretion and HOMA-IR as a measure of insulin resistance at baseline. Body composition was determined by DXA at baseline and post-weight loss. Associations were analyzed using general linear models with adjustment for covariates. RESULTS In FB4, higher insulin-30 was associated with a smaller decrease in fat mass (0.441 kg per 100 μIU/mL increment in baseline insulin-30; P = 0.005; -1.20-kg mean difference between the first compared with the fifth group of insulin-30) and a larger decrease in lean mass (-0.465 kg per 100 μIU/mL; P = 0.004; 1.27-kg difference). Participants with higher insulin-30 lost a smaller proportion of weight loss as fat (-3.37% per 100 μIU/mL; P = 0.003; 9.20% difference). Greater HOMA-IR was also significantly associated with adverse body composition changes. Results from (FS)2 were qualitatively similar but of a smaller magnitude. CONCLUSIONS Baseline insulin dynamics predict substantial individual differences in body composition following weight loss. These findings may inform understanding of the pathophysiological basis for weight regain and the design of more effective obesity treatment. Registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03394664 and NCT02068885.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia M W Wong
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shui Yu
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Clement Ma
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Tapan Mehta
- Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - David B Allison
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Steven B Heymsfield
- Metabolism & Body Composition Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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27
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Jansen LT, Yang N, Wong JMW, Mehta T, Allison DB, Ludwig DS, Ebbeling CB. Prolonged Glycemic Adaptation Following Transition From a Low- to High-Carbohydrate Diet: A Randomized Controlled Feeding Trial. Diabetes Care 2022; 45:576-584. [PMID: 35108378 PMCID: PMC8918196 DOI: 10.2337/dc21-1970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Consuming ≥150 g/day carbohydrate is recommended for 3 days before an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) for diabetes diagnosis. For evaluation of this recommendation, time courses of glycemic changes following transition from a very-low-carbohydrate (VLC) to high-carbohydrate diet were assessed with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS After achieving a weight loss target of 15% (±3%) on the run-in VLC diet, participants (18-50 years old, BMI ≥27 kg/m2) were randomly assigned for 10 weeks to one of three isoenergetic diets: VLC (5% carbohydrate and 77% fat); high carbohydrate, high starch (HC-Starch) (57% carbohydrate and 25% fat, including 20% refined grains); and high carbohydrate, high sugar (HC-Sugar) (57% carbohydrate and 25% fat, including 20% sugar). CGM was done throughout the trial (n = 64) and OGTT at start and end (n = 41). All food was prepared in a metabolic kitchen and consumed under observation. RESULTS Glucose metrics continued to decline after week 1 in the HC-Starch and HC-Sugar groups (P < 0.05) but not VLC. During weeks 2-5, fasting and 2-h glucose (millimoles per liter per week) decreased in HC-Starch (fasting -0.10, P = 0.001; 2 h -0.10, P = 0.04). During weeks 6-9, 2-h glucose decreased in HC-Starch (-0.07, P = 0.01) and fasting and 2-h glucose decreased in HC-Sugar (fasting -0.09, P = 0.001; 2 h -0.09, P = 0.003). The number of participants with abnormal glucose tolerance by OGTT remained 10 (of 16) in VLC at start and end but decreased from 17 to 9 (of 25) in both high-carbohydrate groups. CONCLUSIONS Physiological adaptation from a low- to high-carbohydrate diet may require many weeks, with implications for the accuracy of diabetes tests, interpretation of macronutrient trials, and risks of periodic planned deviations from a VLC diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa T Jansen
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Nianlan Yang
- University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - Julia M W Wong
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Tapan Mehta
- University of Alabama Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
| | - David B Allison
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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28
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Bikman BT, Shimy KJ, Apovian CM, Yu S, Saito ER, Walton CM, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. A high-carbohydrate diet lowers the rate of adipose tissue mitochondrial respiration. Eur J Clin Nutr 2022; 76:1339-1342. [PMID: 35177807 PMCID: PMC9381644 DOI: 10.1038/s41430-022-01097-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Adipocyte mitochondrial respiration may influence metabolic fuel partitioning into oxidation versus storage, with implications for whole-body energy expenditure. Although insulin has been shown to influence mitochondrial respiration, the effects of dietary macronutrient composition have not been well characterized. The aim of this exploratory study was to test the hypothesis that a high-carbohydrate diet lowers the oxygen flux of adipocyte mitochondria ex vivo. Among participants in a randomized-controlled weight-loss maintenance feeding trial, those consuming a high-carbohydrate diet (60% carbohydrate as a proportion of total energy, n = 10) had lower rates of maximal adipose tissue mitochondrial respiration than those consuming a moderate-carbohydrate diet (40%, n = 8, p = 0.039) or a low-carbohydrate diet (20%, n = 9, p = 0.005) after 10 to 15 weeks. This preliminary finding may provide a mechanism for postulated calorie-independent effects of dietary composition on energy expenditure and fat deposition, potentially through the actions of insulin on fuel partitioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin T Bikman
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA.
| | - Kim J Shimy
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Division of Endocrinology, Children's National Hospital, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Caroline M Apovian
- Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - S Yu
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Erin R Saito
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Chase M Walton
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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29
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Ludwig DS, Aronne LJ, Astrup A, de Cabo R, Cantley LC, Friedman MI, Heymsfield SB, Johnson JD, King JC, Krauss RM, Lieberman DE, Taubes G, Volek JS, Westman EC, Willett WC, Yancy WS, Ebbeling CB. Reply to A Drewnowski et al, O Devinsky, D A Booth and E L Gibson, and D J Millward. Am J Clin Nutr 2022; 115:595-597. [PMID: 35139162 PMCID: PMC8990105 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Louis J Aronne
- Comprehensive Weight Control Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Arne Astrup
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rafael de Cabo
- Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lewis C Cantley
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mark I Friedman
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA,Nutrition Science Initiative, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Steven B Heymsfield
- Metabolism & Body Composition Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - James D Johnson
- Diabetes Research Group, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada,Institute for Personalized Therapeutic Nutrition, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Janet C King
- Department of Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ronald M Krauss
- Departments of Pediatrics and Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Daniel E Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gary Taubes
- Nutrition Science Initiative, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jeff S Volek
- Department of Human Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Eric C Westman
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Walter C Willett
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - William S Yancy
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- From the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, MA, USA,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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30
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Ludwig DS, Wong JMW, Yu S, Ma C, Mehta T, Dickinson SL, Allison DB, Heymsfield SB, Ebbeling CB. Reply to DA Booth. J Nutr 2022; 152:641-642. [PMID: 35137123 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab409] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 11/26/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- From the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA
| | - Julia M W Wong
- From the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA
| | - Shui Yu
- From the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Clement Ma
- Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA.,Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Boston MA, USA.,Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Tapan Mehta
- Department Health Services Administration, School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA
| | | | - David B Allison
- Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Steven B Heymsfield
- Metabolism & Body Composition Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- From the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston MA, USA
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Dickinson SL, Henschel B, Ludwig DS, Allison DB. Errors and incorrect conclusions need correction in "The low-carbohydrate-diet score is associated with resting metabolic rate: an epidemiologic study among Iranian adults". J Diabetes Metab Disord 2022; 21:1189-1190. [PMID: 35673479 PMCID: PMC9167155 DOI: 10.1007/s40200-022-00991-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie L. Dickinson
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN USA
| | - Beate Henschel
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN USA
| | - David S. Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA USA
| | - David B. Allison
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN USA
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Norwitz NG, Feldman D, Soto-Mota A, Kalayjian T, Ludwig DS. Elevated LDL Cholesterol with a Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet: Evidence for a "Lean Mass Hyper-Responder" Phenotype. Curr Dev Nutr 2022; 6:nzab144. [PMID: 35106434 PMCID: PMC8796252 DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzab144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND People commencing a carbohydrate-restricted diet (CRD) experience markedly heterogenous responses in LDL cholesterol, ranging from extreme elevations to reductions. OBJECTIVES The aim was to elucidate possible sources of heterogeneity in LDL cholesterol response to a CRD and thereby identify individuals who may be at risk for LDL cholesterol elevation. METHODS Hypothesis-naive analyses were conducted on web survey data from 548 adults consuming a CRD. Univariate and multivariate regression models and regression trees were built to evaluate the interaction between body mass index (BMI) and baseline lipid markers. Data were also collected from a case series of five clinical patients with extremely high LDL cholesterol consuming a CRD. RESULTS BMI was inversely associated with LDL cholesterol change. Low triglyceride (TG) to HDL cholesterol ratio, a marker of good metabolic health, predicted larger LDL cholesterol increases. A subgroup of respondents with LDL cholesterol ≥200 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol ≥80 mg/dL, and TG ≤70 mg/dL were characterized as "lean mass hyper-responders." Respondents with this phenotype (n = 100) had a lower BMI and, remarkably, similar prior LDL cholesterol versus other respondents. In the case series, moderate reintroduction of carbohydrate produced a marked decrease in LDL cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that, in contrast to the typical pattern of dyslipidemia, greater LDL cholesterol elevation on a CRD tends to occur in the context of otherwise low cardiometabolic risk.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Adrian Soto-Mota
- Metabolic Diseases Research Unit, National Institute for Medical Sciences and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Tlalpan, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - David S Ludwig
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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34
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Lennerz BS, Mey JT, Henn OH, Ludwig DS. Behavioral Characteristics and Self-Reported Health Status among 2029 Adults Consuming a "Carnivore Diet". Curr Dev Nutr 2021; 5:nzab133. [PMID: 34934897 PMCID: PMC8684475 DOI: 10.1093/cdn/nzab133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 10/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The "carnivore diet," based on animal foods and excluding most or all plant foods, has attracted recent popular attention. However, little is known about the health effects and tolerability of this diet, and concerns for nutrient deficiencies and cardiovascular disease risk have been raised. OBJECTIVES We obtained descriptive data on the nutritional practices and health status of a large group of carnivore diet consumers. METHODS A social media survey was conducted 30 March-24 June, 2020 among adults self-identifying as consuming a carnivore diet for ≥6 mo. Survey questions interrogated motivation, dietary intake patterns, symptoms suggestive of nutritional deficiencies or other adverse effects, satisfaction, prior and current health conditions, anthropometrics, and laboratory data. RESULTS A total of 2029 respondents (median age: 44 y, 67% male) reported consuming a carnivore diet for 14 mo (IQR: 9-20 mo), motivated primarily by health reasons (93%). Red meat consumption was reported as daily or more often by 85%. Under 10% reported consuming vegetables, fruits, or grains more often than monthly, and 37% denied vitamin supplement use. Prevalence of adverse symptoms was low (<1% to 5.5%). Symptoms included gastrointestinal (3.1%-5.5%), muscular (0.3%-4.0%), and dermatologic (0.1%-1.9%). Participants reported high levels of satisfaction and improvements in overall health (95%), well-being (66%-91%), various medical conditions (48%-98%), and median [IQR] BMI (in kg/m2) (from 27.2 [23.5-31.9] to 24.3 [22.1-27.0]). Among a subset reporting current lipids, LDL-cholesterol was markedly elevated (172 mg/dL), whereas HDL-cholesterol (68 mg/dL) and triglycerides (68 mg/dL) were optimal. Participants with diabetes reported benefits including reductions in median [IQR] BMI (4.3 [1.4-7.2]), glycated hemoglobin (0.4% [0%-1.7%]), and diabetes medication use (84%-100%). CONCLUSIONS Contrary to common expectations, adults consuming a carnivore diet experienced few adverse effects and instead reported health benefits and high satisfaction. Cardiovascular disease risk factors were variably affected. The generalizability of these findings and the long-term effects of this dietary pattern require further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belinda S Lennerz
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jacob T Mey
- Integrated Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Owen H Henn
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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35
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Willett WC, Ludwig DS. Dietary trials on chronic disease: learning from the past to avoid repeating it. Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 114:2119-2120. [PMID: 36017655 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Walter C Willett
- From the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA.,Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA
| | - David S Ludwig
- Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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36
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Ludwig DS, Aronne LJ, Astrup A, de Cabo R, Cantley LC, Friedman MI, Heymsfield SB, Johnson JD, King JC, Krauss RM, Lieberman DE, Taubes G, Volek JS, Westman EC, Willett WC, Yancy WS, Ebbeling CB. The carbohydrate-insulin model: a physiological perspective on the obesity pandemic. Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 114:1873-1885. [PMID: 34515299 PMCID: PMC8634575 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 38.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
According to a commonly held view, the obesity pandemic is caused by overconsumption of modern, highly palatable, energy-dense processed foods, exacerbated by a sedentary lifestyle. However, obesity rates remain at historic highs, despite a persistent focus on eating less and moving more, as guided by the energy balance model (EBM). This public health failure may arise from a fundamental limitation of the EBM itself. Conceptualizing obesity as a disorder of energy balance restates a principle of physics without considering the biological mechanisms that promote weight gain. An alternative paradigm, the carbohydrate-insulin model (CIM), proposes a reversal of causal direction. According to the CIM, increasing fat deposition in the body-resulting from the hormonal responses to a high-glycemic-load diet-drives positive energy balance. The CIM provides a conceptual framework with testable hypotheses for how various modifiable factors influence energy balance and fat storage. Rigorous research is needed to compare the validity of these 2 models, which have substantially different implications for obesity management, and to generate new models that best encompass the evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Louis J Aronne
- Comprehensive Weight Control Center, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Arne Astrup
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise, and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Rafael de Cabo
- Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Lewis C Cantley
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mark I Friedman
- Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Nutrition Science Initiative, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Steven B Heymsfield
- Metabolism & Body Composition Laboratory, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - James D Johnson
- Diabetes Research Group, Life Sciences Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Institute for Personalized Therapeutic Nutrition, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Janet C King
- Department of Nutritional Sciences & Toxicology, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Ronald M Krauss
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Daniel E Lieberman
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gary Taubes
- Nutrition Science Initiative, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jeff S Volek
- Department of Human Sciences, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Eric C Westman
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Walter C Willett
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - William S Yancy
- Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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37
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Ebbeling CB, Knapp A, Johnson A, Wong JMW, Greco KF, Ma C, Mora S, Ludwig DS. Effects of a low-carbohydrate diet on insulin-resistant dyslipoproteinemia-a randomized controlled feeding trial. Am J Clin Nutr 2021; 115:154-162. [PMID: 34582545 PMCID: PMC8755039 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqab287] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2021] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Carbohydrate restriction shows promise for diabetes, but concerns regarding high saturated fat content of low-carbohydrate diets limit widespread adoption. OBJECTIVES This preplanned ancillary study aimed to determine how diets varying widely in carbohydrate and saturated fat affect cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors during weight-loss maintenance. METHODS After 10-14% weight loss on a run-in diet, 164 participants (70% female; BMI = 32.4 ± 4.8 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to 3 weight-loss maintenance diets for 20 wk. The prepared diets contained 20% protein and differed 3-fold in carbohydrate (Carb) and saturated fat as a proportion of energy (Low-Carb: 20% carbohydrate, 21% saturated fat; Moderate-Carb: 40%, 14%; High-Carb: 60%, 7%). Fasting plasma samples were collected prerandomization and at 20 wk. Lipoprotein insulin resistance (LPIR) score was calculated from triglyceride-rich, high-density, and low-density lipoprotein particle (TRL-P, HDL-P, LDL-P) sizes and subfraction concentrations (large/very large TRL-P, large HDL-P, small LDL-P). Other outcomes included lipoprotein(a), triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, adiponectin, and inflammatory markers. Repeated measures ANOVA was used for intention-to-treat analysis. RESULTS Retention was 90%. Mean change in LPIR (scale 0-100) differed by diet in a dose-dependent fashion: Low-Carb (-5.3; 95% CI: -9.2, -1.5), Moderate-Carb (-0.02; 95% CI: -4.1, 4.1), High-Carb (3.6; 95% CI: -0.6, 7.7), P = 0.009. Low-Carb also favorably affected lipoprotein(a) [-14.7% (95% CI: -19.5, -9.5), -2.1 (95% CI: -8.2, 4.3), and 0.2 (95% CI: -6.0, 6.8), respectively; P = 0.0005], triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, large/very large TRL-P, large HDL-P, and adiponectin. LDL cholesterol, LDL-P, and inflammatory markers did not differ by diet. CONCLUSIONS A low-carbohydrate diet, high in saturated fat, improved insulin-resistant dyslipoproteinemia and lipoprotein(a), without adverse effect on LDL cholesterol. Carbohydrate restriction might lower CVD risk independently of body weight, a possibility that warrants study in major multicentered trials powered on hard outcomes. The registry is available through ClinicialTrials.gov: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02068885.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's
Hospital, Boston, MA, USA,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,
USA
| | - Amy Knapp
- Department of Biology, Framingham State University,
Framingham, MA, USA
| | - Ann Johnson
- Department of Food and Nutrition, Framingham State
University, Framingham, MA, USA
| | - Julia M W Wong
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's
Hospital, Boston, MA, USA,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,
USA
| | - Kimberly F Greco
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston
Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Clement Ma
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,
USA,Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders
Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samia Mora
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA,
USA,Center for Lipid Metabolomics, Divisions of Preventive and Cardiovascular
Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston,
MA, USA
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Lennerz BS, Koutnik AP, Azova S, Wolfsdorf JI, Ludwig DS. Carbohydrate restriction for diabetes: rediscovering centuries-old wisdom. J Clin Invest 2021; 131:142246. [PMID: 33393511 DOI: 10.1172/jci142246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Carbohydrate restriction, used since the 1700s to prolong survival in people with diabetes, fell out of favor after the discovery of insulin. Despite costly pharmacological and technological developments in the last few decades, current therapies do not achieve optimal outcomes, and most people with diabetes remain at high risk for micro- and macrovascular complications. Recently, low-carbohydrate diets have regained popularity, with preliminary evidence of benefit for body weight, postprandial hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, and other cardiometabolic risk factors in type 2 diabetes and, with more limited data, in type 1 diabetes. High-quality, long-term trials are needed to assess safety concerns and determine whether this old dietary approach might help people with diabetes attain clinical targets more effectively, and at a lower cost, than conventional treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Belinda S Lennerz
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, and.,Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Andrew P Koutnik
- Human Health, Resilience & Performance, Institute for Human and Machine Cognition, and.,Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida, USA
| | - Svetlana Azova
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, and.,Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Joseph I Wolfsdorf
- Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, and.,Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Ludwig DS, Ebbeling CB. Letter to the Editor: Reply to Guyenet and Hall. J Nutr 2021; 151:2497-2498. [PMID: 34363483 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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40
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Holsen LM, Hoge WS, Lennerz BS, Cerit H, Hye T, Moondra P, Goldstein JM, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. Diets Varying in Carbohydrate Content Differentially Alter Brain Activity in Homeostatic and Reward Regions in Adults. J Nutr 2021; 151:2465-2476. [PMID: 33852013 PMCID: PMC8349124 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Obesity has one of the highest refractory rates of all chronic diseases, in part because weight loss induced by calorie restriction, the first-line treatment for obesity, elicits biological adaptations that promote weight regain. Although acute feeding trials suggest a role for macronutrient composition in modifying brain activity related to hunger and satiety, relevance of these findings to weight-loss maintenance has not been studied. OBJECTIVES We investigated effects of weight-loss maintenance diets varying in macronutrient content on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in brain regions involved in hunger and reward. METHODS In conjunction with a randomized controlled feeding trial, we investigated the effects of weight-loss maintenance diets varying in carbohydrate content [high, 60% of total energy: n = 20; 6 men/14 women; mean age: 32.5 y; mean BMI (in kg/m 2): 27.4; moderate, 40% of total energy: n = 22; 10 men/12 women; mean age: 32.5 y; mean BMI: 29.0; low, 20% of total energy: n = 28; 12 men/16 women; mean age: 33.2 y; mean BMI: 27.7] on rCBF in brain regions involved in hunger and reward preprandial and 4 h postprandial after 14-20 wk on the diets. The primary outcome was rCBF in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) at 4 h postprandial; the secondary outcome was preprandial rCBF in the hypothalamus. RESULTS Consistent with a priori hypothesis, at 4 h postprandial, NAcc rCBF was 43% higher in adults assigned to the high- compared with low-carbohydrate diet {P[family-wise error (FWE)-corrected] < 0.05}. Preprandial hypothalamus rCBF was 41% higher on high-carbohydrate diet [P(FWE-corrected) < 0.001]. Exploratory analyses revealed that elevated rCBF on high-carbohydrate diet was not specific to prandial state: preprandial NAcc rCBF [P(FWE-corrected) < 0.001] and 4 h postprandial rCBF in hypothalamus [P(FWE-corrected) < 0.001]. Insulin secretion predicted differential postprandial activation of the NAcc by diet. CONCLUSIONS We report significant differences in rCBF in adults assigned to diets varying in carbohydrate content for several months, which appear to be partially associated with insulin secretion. These findings suggest that chronic intake of a high-carbohydrate diet may affect brain reward and homeostatic activity in ways that could impede weight-loss maintenance. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02300857.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura M Holsen
- Division of Women's Health and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - W Scott Hoge
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Belinda S Lennerz
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Hilâl Cerit
- Division of Women's Health and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Taryn Hye
- Division of Women's Health and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Priyanka Moondra
- Division of Women's Health and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jill M Goldstein
- Division of Women's Health and Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David S Ludwig
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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Abstract
Low- and very-low-carbohydrate diets have long attracted popular interest in the US and variably throughout the world. The potential value of these diets was recognized recently in a Consensus Report from the American Diabetes Association and expanded in a Scientific Statement from the National Lipid Association. Scientific evidence remains incomplete, but is beginning to catch up with popular trends. In this JCL Roundtable, 3 experts discuss the evidence behind these diets, their current place in nutrition practice, and areas needing more study. The carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity is presented as one explanation for dietary effectiveness. Ongoing research will delineate this model further. The experts, all clinicians, give practical advice for when and how to incorporate low-carbohydrate principles into dietary counseling.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David S Ludwig
- Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - John R Guyton
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
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42
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Ludwig DS, Ebbeling CB. Reply to R Prentice et al. J Nutr 2021; 151:1674. [PMID: 34075414 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxab098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- From the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- From the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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Speakman JR, Yamada Y, Sagayama H, Berman ESF, Ainslie PN, Andersen LF, Anderson LJ, Arab L, Baddou I, Bedu-Addo K, Blaak EE, Blanc S, Bonomi AG, Bouten CVC, Bovet P, Buchowski MS, Butte NF, Camps SGJA, Close GL, Cooper JA, Creasy SA, Das SK, Cooper R, Dugas LR, Ebbeling CB, Ekelund U, Entringer S, Forrester T, Fudge BW, Goris AH, Gurven M, Hambly C, El Hamdouchi A, Hoos MB, Hu S, Joonas N, Joosen AM, Katzmarzyk P, Kempen KP, Kimura M, Kraus WE, Kushner RF, Lambert EV, Leonard WR, Lessan N, Ludwig DS, Martin CK, Medin AC, Meijer EP, Morehen JC, Morton JP, Neuhouser ML, Nicklas TA, Ojiambo RM, Pietiläinen KH, Pitsiladis YP, Plange-Rhule J, Plasqui G, Prentice RL, Rabinovich RA, Racette SB, Raichlen DA, Ravussin E, Reynolds RM, Roberts SB, Schuit AJ, Sjödin AM, Stice E, Urlacher SS, Valenti G, Van Etten LM, Van Mil EA, Wells JCK, Wilson G, Wood BM, Yanovski J, Yoshida T, Zhang X, Murphy-Alford AJ, Loechl CU, Melanson EL, Luke AH, Pontzer H, Rood J, Schoeller DA, Westerterp KR, Wong WW. A standard calculation methodology for human doubly labeled water studies. Cell Rep Med 2021; 2:100203. [PMID: 33665639 PMCID: PMC7897799 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2021.100203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The doubly labeled water (DLW) method measures total energy expenditure (TEE) in free-living subjects. Several equations are used to convert isotopic data into TEE. Using the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) DLW database (5,756 measurements of adults and children), we show considerable variability is introduced by different equations. The estimated rCO2 is sensitive to the dilution space ratio (DSR) of the two isotopes. Based on performance in validation studies, we propose a new equation based on a new estimate of the mean DSR. The DSR is lower at low body masses (<10 kg). Using data for 1,021 babies and infants, we show that the DSR varies non-linearly with body mass between 0 and 10 kg. Using this relationship to predict DSR from weight provides an equation for rCO2 over this size range that agrees well with indirect calorimetry (average difference 0.64%; SD = 12.2%). We propose adoption of these equations in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Speakman
- Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.,Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK.,State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,CAS Center of Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Kunming, China
| | - Yosuke Yamada
- National Institute of Health and Nutrition, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan.,Institute for Active Health, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Sagayama
- Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | | | - Philip N Ainslie
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Lene F Andersen
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway
| | - Liam J Anderson
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,Crewe Alexandra Football Club, Crewe, UK
| | - Lenore Arab
- David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Issaad Baddou
- Unité Mixte de Recherche en Nutrition et Alimentation, CNESTEN- Université Ibn Tofail URAC39, Regional Designated Center of Nutrition Associated with AFRA/IAEA, Rabat, Morocco
| | - Kweku Bedu-Addo
- Department of Physiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | - Stephane Blanc
- Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.,Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, CNRS Université de Strasbourg, UMR7178, Strasbourg, France
| | | | - Carlijn V C Bouten
- Department of Biomedical Engineering and Institute for Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, the Netherlands
| | - Pascal Bovet
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Maciej S Buchowski
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Nancy F Butte
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Graeme L Close
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jamie A Cooper
- Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Seth A Creasy
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschulz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Sai Krupa Das
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, 150 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Richard Cooper
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Lara R Dugas
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health, Loyola University, Maywood, IL, USA
| | | | - Ulf Ekelund
- Department of Sport Medicine, Norwegian School of Sport Sciences, Oslo, Norway
| | - Sonja Entringer
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health (BIH), Institute of Medical Psychology, Berlin, Germany.,University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA
| | - Terrence Forrester
- Solutions for Developing Countries, University of the West Indies, Mona, Kingston, Jamaica
| | | | | | - Michael Gurven
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Catherine Hambly
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Asmaa El Hamdouchi
- Unité Mixte de Recherche en Nutrition et Alimentation, CNESTEN- Université Ibn Tofail URAC39, Regional Designated Center of Nutrition Associated with AFRA/IAEA, Rabat, Morocco
| | | | - Sumei Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Molecular Developmental Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Noorjehan Joonas
- Central Health Laboratory, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Port Louis, Mauritius
| | | | | | | | - Misaka Kimura
- Institute for Active Health, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto, Japan
| | | | | | - Estelle V Lambert
- Research Unit for Exercise Science and Sports Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - William R Leonard
- Department of Anthropology, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Nader Lessan
- Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Corby K Martin
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Anine C Medin
- Department of Nutrition, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway.,Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, University of Agder, 4630 Kristiansand, Norway
| | | | - James C Morehen
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK.,The FA Group, Burton-Upon-Trent, Staffordshire, UK
| | - James P Morton
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Marian L Neuhouser
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Theresa A Nicklas
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Robert M Ojiambo
- Moi University, Eldoret, Kenya.,University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda
| | | | | | - Jacob Plange-Rhule
- Department of Physiology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Guy Plasqui
- Department of Nutrition and Movement Sciences, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ross L Prentice
- Division of Public Health Sciences, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Susan B Racette
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, 150 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David A Raichlen
- Biological Sciences and Anthropology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Eric Ravussin
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Rebecca M Reynolds
- Centre for Cardiovascular Sciences, Queen's Medical Research Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Susan B Roberts
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, 150 Harrison Avenue, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Anders M Sjödin
- Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, Copenhagen University, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | | | | | | | - Edgar A Van Mil
- Maastricht and Lifestyle Medicine Center for Children, Jeroen Bosch Hospital's-Hertogenbosch, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Jonathan C K Wells
- Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, London, UK
| | - George Wilson
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Brian M Wood
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jack Yanovski
- Growth and Obesity, Division of Intramural Research, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Tsukasa Yoshida
- National Institute of Health and Nutrition, National Institutes of Biomedical Innovation, Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Xueying Zhang
- Center for Energy Metabolism and Reproduction, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China.,Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Alexia J Murphy-Alford
- Nutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
| | - Cornelia U Loechl
- Nutritional and Health Related Environmental Studies Section, Division of Human Health, International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria
| | - Edward L Melanson
- Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes, University of Colorado Anschulz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA.,Eastern Colorado VA Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, Aurora, CO, USA.,Division of Geriatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, USA
| | - Amy H Luke
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Public Health Sciences, Loyola University School of Medicine, Maywood, IL, USA
| | - Herman Pontzer
- Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.,Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jennifer Rood
- Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Dale A Schoeller
- Biotech Center and Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Klaas R Westerterp
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism, University of Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - William W Wong
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USA
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44
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Ludwig DS, Dickinson SL, Henschel B, Ebbeling CB, Allison DB. Do Lower-Carbohydrate Diets Increase Total Energy Expenditure? An Updated and Reanalyzed Meta-Analysis of 29 Controlled-Feeding Studies. J Nutr 2020; 151:482-490. [PMID: 33274750 PMCID: PMC7948201 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 09/29/2020] [Accepted: 10/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The effect of macronutrient composition on total energy expenditure (TEE) remains controversial, with divergent findings among studies. One source of heterogeneity may be study duration, as physiological adaptation to lower carbohydrate intake may require 2 to 3 wk. OBJECTIVE We tested the hypothesis that the effects of carbohydrate [expressed as % of energy intake (EI)] on TEE vary with time. METHODS The sample included trials from a previous meta-analysis and new trials identified in a PubMed search through 9 March 2020 comparing lower- and higher-carbohydrate diets, controlled for EI or body weight. Three reviewers independently extracted data and reconciled discrepancies. Effects on TEE were pooled using inverse-variance-weighted meta-analysis, with between-study heterogeneity assessed using the I2 statistic. Meta-regression was used to quantify the influence of study duration, dichotomized at 2.5 wk. RESULTS The 29 trials ranged in duration from 1 to 140 d (median: 4 d) and included 617 participants. Difference in carbohydrate between intervention arms ranged from 8% to 77% EI (median: 30%). Compared with reported findings in the prior analysis (I2 = 32.2%), we found greater heterogeneity (I2 = 90.9% in the reanalysis, 81.6% in the updated analysis). Study duration modified the diet effect on TEE (P < 0.001). Among 23 shorter trials, TEE was reduced on lower-carbohydrate diets (-50.0 kcal/d; 95% CI: -77.4, -22.6 kcal/d) with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 69.8). Among 6 longer trials, TEE was increased on low-carbohydrate diets (135.4 kcal/d; 95% CI: 72.0, 198.7 kcal/d) with low heterogeneity (I2 = 26.4). Expressed per 10% decrease in carbohydrate as %EI, the TEE effects in shorter and longer trials were -14.5 kcal/d and 50.4 kcal/d, respectively. Findings were materially unchanged in sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS Lower-carbohydrate diets transiently reduce TEE, with a larger increase after ∼2.5 wk. These findings highlight the importance of longer trials to understand chronic macronutrient effects and suggest a mechanism whereby lower-carbohydrate diets may facilitate weight loss.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Beate Henschel
- Indiana University School of Public Health–Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - David B Allison
- Indiana University School of Public Health–Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, USA
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45
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Ludwig DS. Reply to S Joshi. J Nutr 2020; 150:2836-2837. [PMID: 33044523 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- From the New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
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46
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Ebbeling CB, Bielak L, Lakin PR, Klein GL, Wong JMW, Luoto PK, Wong WW, Ludwig DS. Energy Requirement Is Higher During Weight-Loss Maintenance in Adults Consuming a Low- Compared with High-Carbohydrate Diet. J Nutr 2020; 150:2009-2015. [PMID: 32470981 PMCID: PMC7398766 DOI: 10.1093/jn/nxaa150] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2019] [Revised: 12/18/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Longer-term feeding studies suggest that a low-carbohydrate diet increases energy expenditure, consistent with the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity. However, the validity of methodology utilized in these studies, involving doubly labeled water (DLW), has been questioned. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine whether dietary energy requirement for weight-loss maintenance is higher on a low- compared with high-carbohydrate diet. METHODS The study reports secondary outcomes from a feeding study in which the primary outcome was total energy expenditure (TEE). After attaining a mean Run-in weight loss of 10.5%, 164 adults (BMI ≥25 kg/m2; 70.1% women) were randomly assigned to Low-Carbohydrate (percentage of total energy from carbohydrate, fat, protein: 20/60/20), Moderate-Carbohydrate (40/40/20), or High-Carbohydrate (60/20/20) Test diets for 20 wk. Calorie content was adjusted to maintain individual body weight within ± 2 kg of the postweight-loss value. In analyses by intention-to-treat (ITT, completers, n = 148) and per protocol (PP, completers also achieving weight-loss maintenance, n = 110), we compared the estimated energy requirement (EER) from 10 to 20 wk of the Test diets using ANCOVA. RESULTS Mean EER was higher in the Low- versus High-Carbohydrate group in models of varying covariate structure involving ITT [ranging from 181 (95% CI: 8-353) to 246 (64-427) kcal/d; P ≤0.04] and PP [ranging from 245 (43-446) to 323 (122-525) kcal/d; P ≤0.02]. This difference remained significant in sensitivity analyses accounting for change in adiposity and possible nonadherence. CONCLUSIONS Energy requirement was higher on a low- versus high-carbohydrate diet during weight-loss maintenance in adults, commensurate with TEE. These data are consistent with the carbohydrate-insulin model and lend qualified support for the validity of the DLW method with diets varying in macronutrient composition. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02068885.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lisa Bielak
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paul R Lakin
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research; Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Gloria L Klein
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julia M W Wong
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Patricia K Luoto
- Department of Food and Nutrition, Framingham State University, Framingham, MA, USA
| | - William W Wong
- USDA/Agricultural Research Service Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine,Houston, TX, USA
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston, MA, USA,Address correspondence to DSL (e-mail: )
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47
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Ebbeling CB, Feldman HA, Steltz SK, Quinn NL, Robinson LM, Ludwig DS. Effects of Sugar-Sweetened, Artificially Sweetened, and Unsweetened Beverages on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Body Composition, and Sweet Taste Preference: A Randomized Controlled Trial. J Am Heart Assoc 2020; 9:e015668. [PMID: 32696704 PMCID: PMC7792240 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.119.015668] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Background A 2018 American Heart Association science advisory indicated that, pending further research, artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs) may be an appropriate initial replacement for sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs) during transition to unsweetened beverages (USBs). Methods and Results We randomly assigned 203 adults (121 males, 82 females; 91.6% retention), who habitually consumed SSBs, to 3 groups and delivered free SSBs, ASBs, or USBs to their homes for 12 months. Outcomes included serum triglyceride to high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (primary), body weight, and sweet taste preference (experimental assessment, 0%–18% sucrose solutions). Change in serum triglyceride to high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio was not different between groups. Although overall change in weight also was not different between groups, we found effect modification (P=0.006) by central adiposity. Among participants in the highest tertile of baseline trunk fat but not other tertiles, weight gain was greater (P=0.002) for the SSB (4.4±1.0 kg, estimate±SE) compared with ASB (0.5±0.9 kg) or USB (−0.2±0.9 kg) group. Both sweetness threshold (–1.0±0.2% m/v; P=0.005) and favorite concentration (–2.3±0.4% m/v; P<0.0001) decreased in the USB group; neither changed in the SSB group. In the ASB group, sweetness threshold did not change, and favorite concentration decreased (–1.1±0.5% m/v; P=0.02). Pairwise comparison between the ASB and USB groups indicated a difference in sweetness threshold (P=0.015). Conclusions Replacing SSBs with noncaloric beverages for 12 months did not affect serum triglyceride to high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio. Among individuals with central adiposity, replacing SSBs with either ASBs or USBs lowered body weight. However, USBs may have the most favorable effect on sweet taste preference. Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov; unique identifier: NCT01295671.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center Boston Children's Hospital Boston MA
| | - Henry A Feldman
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research Boston Children's Hospital Boston MA
| | - Sarah K Steltz
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center Boston Children's Hospital Boston MA
| | - Nicolle L Quinn
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research Boston Children's Hospital Boston MA
| | | | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center Boston Children's Hospital Boston MA
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48
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Abstract
Preliminary data suggest that people with obesity are at increased risk of severe COVID-19. However, as data on metabolic parameters (such as BMI and levels of glucose and insulin) in patients with COVID-19 are scarce, increased reporting is needed to improve our understanding of COVID-19 and the care of affected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norbert Stefan
- Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany.
- Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Nephrology, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany.
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Andreas L Birkenfeld
- Institute of Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases (IDM) of the Helmholtz Center Munich, Tübingen, Germany
- Department of Internal Medicine IV, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetology and Nephrology, University Hospital of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Department of Diabetes, School of Life Course Science, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Matthias B Schulze
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
- Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany
| | - David S Ludwig
- Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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49
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Abstract
For >50 y, dietary guidelines in the United States have focused on reducing intakes of saturated and total fat. However, rates of obesity and diabetes rose markedly throughout this period, with potentially catastrophic implications for public health and the economy. Recently, ketogenic diets have received substantial attention from the general public and nutrition research community. These very-low-carbohydrate diets, with fat comprising >70% of calories, have been dismissed as fads. However, they have a long history in clinical medicine and human evolution. Ketogenic diets appear to be more effective than low-fat diets for treatment of obesity and diabetes. In addition to the reductions in blood glucose and insulin achievable through carbohydrate restriction, chronic ketosis might confer unique metabolic benefits of relevance to cancer, neurodegenerative conditions, and other diseases associated with insulin resistance. Based on available evidence, a well-formulated ketogenic diet does not appear to have major safety concerns for the general public and can be considered a first-line approach for obesity and diabetes. High-quality clinical trials of ketogenic diets will be needed to assess important questions about their long-term effects and full potential in clinical medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
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50
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Shimy KJ, Feldman HA, Klein GL, Bielak L, Ebbeling CB, Ludwig DS. Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate Content on Circulating Metabolic Fuel Availability in the Postprandial State. J Endocr Soc 2020; 4:bvaa062. [PMID: 32666008 PMCID: PMC7326475 DOI: 10.1210/jendso/bvaa062] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Context According to the carbohydrate-insulin model of obesity, an elevated insulin-to-glucagon ratio in response to a high-carbohydrate diet directs metabolic fuels toward storage, resulting in lower circulating energy. Objective To determine differences in total circulating energy post-meal related to dietary carbohydrate. Design Ancillary study within the Framingham State Food Study. Setting University community. Participants 29 adults (aged 20 to 65 years) with overweight or obesity (body mass index ≥25 kg/m2) Intervention After achieving 10% to 14% weight loss on a run-in diet, participants were randomized to weight-loss-maintenance test diets varying in carbohydrate content (high-carbohydrate, 60% of total energy, n = 11; moderate-carbohydrate, 40%, n = 8; low-carbohydrate, 20%, n = 10) and controlled for protein (20%). During 24-hour metabolic ward admissions between 10 and 15 weeks on the test diets, metabolic fuels and hormones were measured. Main Outcome Measure Energy availability (EA) based on energy content of blood glucose, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and free fatty acids, in the late postprandial period (180 to 300 minutes). Insulin at 30 minutes into the test meal (Meal Insulin-30) was measured as an effect modifier. Results Insulin-to-glucagon ratio was 7-fold higher in participants on the high- vs low-carbohydrate diet (2.5 and 0.36, respectively). Late postprandial EA was 0.58 kcal/L lower on the high- vs low-carbohydrate diet (P < 0.0001), primarily related to suppression of free fatty acids. Early postprandial EA (30 to 180 minutes) declined fastest in the high-carbohydrate group, and Meal Insulin-30 modified this diet effect. Conclusions During weight-loss maintenance on a high-carbohydrate diet, late postprandial EA is reduced, consistent with the carbohydrate-insulin model.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim J Shimy
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Division of Endocrinology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC
| | - Henry A Feldman
- Institutional Centers for Clinical and Translational Research, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Gloria L Klein
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Lisa Bielak
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Cara B Ebbeling
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - David S Ludwig
- New Balance Foundation Obesity Prevention Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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