A high protein, low fat diet is more effective at improving blood pressure and triglycerides in calorie-restricted obese individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes

Antonis Zampelas (1) , Emilia Papakonstantinou (1) , Despina Triantafillidou (1) , Demosthenes Panagiotakos (1) , Anastasios Κoutsovasilis (1) , Michalis Saliaris (1) , Athanasios Manolis (1) , Andreas Melidonis (1)

1 Food Science and Technology

Background / Objectives: There is controversy over dietary protein's effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors in diabetic subjects. It is unclear whether observed effects are due to increased protein or reduced carbohydrate content of the consumed diets. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of two diets differing in protein to fat ratios on cardiovascular disease risk factors. Subjects / Methods: Seventeen obese (BMI ranging from 31-45 kg/m2), volunteers with type 2 diabetes (DM2), 46±3 years of age, consumed two diets, each for 4 weeks, with 3 weeks washout period in a random, blind, cross-over design. The diets were: 1) a high protein, low fat diet (HP-LF, 30% protein, 50% carbohydrates, 20% fat) and 2) a low protein, high fat diet (LP-HF, 15% protein, 50% carbohydrates, 35% fat). Their effects on fasting glycaemic control, lipid levels, and blood pressure, and on postprandial glucose and insulin responses following a standard test meal at the beginning and end of each dietary intervention were investigated. Results: Both diets were equally effective at promoting weight loss, fat loss, and improving fasting glycaemic control, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; but the HP-LF diet decreased to a greater extent triglyceride levels (P = 0.04) compared to the LP-HF diet. HP-LF diet improved significantly both systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared to the LP-HF diet (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). No differences were observed in postprandial glucose and insulin responses. Conclusions: A protein to fat ratio of 1.5 in diets significantly improves blood pressure and triglycerides concentrations in obese individuals with DM2.

Mots clés: diet; obesity; diabetes; protein

Antonis Zampelas, Emilia Papakonstantinou, Despina Triantafillidou, Demosthenes Panagiotakos, Anastasios Κoutsovasilis, et al.. A high protein, low fat diet is more effective at improving blood pressure and triglycerides in calorie-restricted obese individuals with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2010, n/a (n/a), pp.n/a-n/a. ⟨10.1038/ejcn.2010.29⟩. ⟨hal-00516535⟩