Abstract
Alternate day fasting (ADF) with a low-fat (LF) diet is effective for weight loss
and cardio-protection. However, the applicability of these findings is questionable
as the majority of Americans consume a high-fat (HF) diet.
Objective
The goal of this study was to determine if these beneficial changes in body weight
and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk can be reproduced if an HF background diet is
used in place of an LF diet during ADF.
Methods
Thirty-two obese subjects were randomized to an ADF-HF (45% fat) or ADF-LF diet (25%
fat), which consisted of two phases: 1) a 2-week baseline weight maintenance period,
and 2) an 8-week ADF weight loss period. All food was provided during the study.
Results
Body weight was reduced (P<0.0001) by ADF-HF (4.8%±1.1%) and by ADF-LF (4.2%±0.8%). Fat mass decreased (P<0.0001) by ADF-HF (5.4±1.5 kg) and ADF-LF (4.2±0.6 kg). Fat free mass remained unchanged. Waist circumference decreased (P<0.001) by ADF-HF (7.2±1.5 cm) and ADF-LF (7.3±0.9 cm). LDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations were reduced (P<0.001) by both interventions (ADF-HF: 18.3%±4.6%, 13.7%±4.8%; and ADF-LF: 24.8%±2.6%, 14.3%±4.4%). HDL cholesterol, blood pressure, and heart rate remained unchanged. There were
no between-group differences for any parameter.
Conclusion
These findings suggest that an ADF-HF diet is equally as effective as an ADF-LF diet
in helping obese subjects lose weight and improve CHD risk factors.
Abbreviations:
ADF (Alternate day fasting), CHD (coronary heart disease), HF (high-fat), LF (low-fat), METS (metabolic equivalents), NHANES (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey)Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 13, 2012
Accepted:
July 9,
2012
Received:
May 16,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
