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Low-energy diets result in weight loss, declines in heart rate
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Low-energy diets, which differed in fiber, red meat and coffee intake, produced similar weight loss results, declines in heart rate and changes in heart rate variability in patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes over 8 weeks, according to recent findings.
“However, the changes in [heart rate variability] during the trial were not different between both low-energy diets,” the researchers wrote.
Dan Ziegler, MD, FRCP, of Heinrich Heine University in Germany, and colleagues evaluated patients with obesity and type 2 diabetes randomized to either a diet high in cereal fiber, free of red mean and high in coffee (high fiber; n = 13) or a diet low in fiber, high in red meat and coffee free (low fiber; n = 15) over an 8-week period to determine if the diets result in different effects on cardiac autonomic function. Eight heart rate variability (HRV) tests, which indicated vagal and/or sympathetic modulation over 3 hours, were conducted, and inflammatory markers were measured during hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp.
Dan Ziegler
For both groups, decreases were found in weight, BMI, HbA1c level, total energy and fat intake whereas protein and carbohydrate intake increased after 8 weeks (all P <.05).
Significant declines after 8 weeks compared with baseline were found for total cholesterol, branched chain amino acid and interleukin-18 concentrations in the high-fiber group (P < .05) whereas these concentrations remained unchanged in the low-fiber group. Declines were found for fasting glucose and insulin levels in the low-fiber group whereas histidine concentrations increased (P < .05). No changes for these measurements were found for the high-fiber group.
Both groups had decreases in heart rate (4 to 6 beats per minute) and improved vagally mediated HRV from baseline to 8 weeks.
“Improvements in vagal activity after 8 weeks were associated with enhanced oxidative glucose utilization and diminished fat oxidation, but not with changes in insulin sensitivity and subclinical inflammation,” the researchers wrote. “Large-scale controlled studies are now required to confirm these findings and to determine whether favorable modulation of autonomic tone toward reducing sympathetic drive can be translated into a reduction of cardiovascular end points in people with diabetes.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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