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Metabolic syndrome risk markers influenced by dietary carbohydrates
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Dietary fat does not drive up plasma saturated fat in patients with obesity or overweight who have metabolic syndrome, according to research published in PLOS ONE.
Carbohydrates, however, may promote increases in plasma palmitoleic acid, a biomarker consistently associated with adverse health outcomes, in patients, researchers said.
“Individuals with metabolic syndrome are more likely to see improvement in their disorder with carbohydrate restriction than fat restriction,” Jeff S. Volek, PhD, RD, of Ohio State University, told Endocrine Today.
Jeff S. Volek
Volek, along with Brittanie M. Volk, PhD, RD, of the department of kinesiology, University of Connecticut, and colleagues conducted a feeding study in 16 adults (12 men, four women) with metabolic syndrome (mean age, 44.9 years; mean BMI, 37.9 kg/m2) to examine how saturated fat intake across a broad range may affect circulating plasma saturated fatty acid levels. Exclusions were made for patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, liver, kidney or other metabolic or endocrine dysfunction, and those trying to lose weight.
Patients were fed six 3-week diets that progressively increased carbohydrate from 47 g/day to 346 g/day and simultaneously reduced total and saturated fat. For all phases, saturated fat represented 40% of total fat, and calories (2,500/day) and protein (130 g/day) remained the same.
No significant changes in the proportion of total saturated fatty acids were observed in any plasma lipid fractions, despite an increase in saturated fat intake from baseline to the low-carbohydrate diet (46-84 g/day) and a gradual decrease in saturated fat to 32 g/day at the highest carbohydrate phase.
The proportion of palmitoleic acid in plasma triglyceride and cholesteryl ester significantly and uniformly decreased as carbohydrate intake decreased and gradually rose as dietary carbohydrate was reintroduced.
High blood levels of palmitoleic acid are linked to obesity and higher risk for inflammation, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and prostate cancer, according to the researchers.
“The obsession on reducing dietary saturated fat is misplaced, and instead we should be focused on restricting carbohydrate for people with insulin resistance, or metabolic syndrome,” Volek said.
Figuring out how to find the right level of carbohydrate for each person is key, according to Volek.
“Since carbohydrate tolerance varies from person to person, and even over the lifespan within a person, there is a need to identify objective tests that can be used to determine if a person has exceeded their carb tolerance,” he said – by Allegra Tiver
For more information:
Jeff S. Volek, PhD, RD, can be reached at the Department of Human Sciences, Kinesiology Program, A044 PAES Building, 305 W. 17th Ave., Columbus, OH 43210; email: volek.1@osu.edu.
Disclosure: This work was funded by the Dairy Research Institute, The Beef Checkoff, the Egg Nutrition Center and the Robert C. and Veronica Atkins Foundation.
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