Adiponectin/leptin ratio increases after a 12-week very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, and exercise training in healthy individuals: A non-randomized, parallel design study

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a 12-week very low-carbohydrate, high-fat (VLCHF) diet and exercise on biomarkers of inflammation in healthy individuals. Since the anti-inflammatory effects of a ketogenic diet have been established, we hypothesized that the VLCHF diet, along with exercise, would have an additional favorable effect on biomarkers of inflammation. Twenty-four healthy individuals were allocated to the VLCHF diet (VLCHF: N = 12, age 25.3 ? 2.0 years, body mass 66.7 ? 9.8 kg, fat mass 21.5% ? 4.9%), or habitual diet (HD: N = 12, age 23.9 ? 3.8 years, body mass 72.7 ? 15.0 kg, fat mass 23.4 ? 8.4 %) group. Biomarkers of inflammation (adiponectin, leptin, and high-sensitive interleukin-6 [hs-IL-6]) and substrate metabolism (glycated hemoglobin, fasting glucose, triacylglycerides, and cholesterol) were analyzed from blood at baseline and after 12 weeks. The adiponectin-leptin ratio significantly increased in the VLCHF group after the intervention period (ES [95% CL]: ?0.90 [ ?0.96, ?0.77] , P < .001, BF 10 = 22.15). The adiponectin-leptin ratio changes were associated with both a significant increase in adiponectin ( ?0.79 [ ?0.91, ?0.54], P < .001, BF 10 = 9.43) and a significant decrease in leptin (0.58 [0.19, 0.81], P = .014, BF 10 = 2.70). There was moderate evidence of changes in total cholesterol ( ?1.15 [ ?2.01, ?0.27], P = .010, BF 10 = 5.20), and LDL cholesterol ( ?1.12 [ ?2.01, ?0.21], P = .016, BF 10 = 4.56) in the VLCHF group. Body weight (kg) and fat mass (%) decreased in the VLCHF group by 5.4% and 14.9%, respectively. We found that in healthy young individuals, consuming a VLCHF diet while performing regular exercise over a 12-week period produced favorable & nbsp; & nbsp;changes in body weight and fat mass along with beneficial changes in serum adiponectin and leptin concentrations. These data support the use of a VLCHF diet strategy for the primary prevention of chronic diseases associated with systemic low-grade inflammation.& nbsp; (c) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that in healthy young individuals, consuming a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet combined with regular exercise over a 12-week period can lead to reductions in body weight and fat mass, along with beneficial changes in serum adiponectin and leptin concentrations, supporting the use of this dietary strategy for the prevention of chronic diseases associated with systemic low-grade inflammation.