Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2009 May;136(5):1552-60.
doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2009.01.048. Epub 2009 Jan 25.

Dietary fat and carbohydrates differentially alter insulin sensitivity during caloric restriction

Erik Kirk  1 , Dominic N Reeds, Brian N Finck, S Mitra Mayurranjan, Bruce W Patterson, Samuel Klein
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Dietary fat and carbohydrates differentially alter insulin sensitivity during caloric restriction

Erik Kirk et al. Gastroenterology. 2009 May.

Erratum in

  • Gastroenterology. 2009 Jul;137(1):393. Mayurranjan, Mitra S [corrected to Mayurranjan S Mitra]

Abstract

Background & aims: We determined the effects of acute and chronic calorie restriction with either a low-fat, high-carbohydrate (HC) diet or a low-carbohydrate (LC) diet on hepatic and skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity.

Methods: Twenty-two obese subjects (body mass index, 36.5 +/- 0.8 kg/m2) were randomized to an HC (>180 g/day) or LC (<50 g/day) energy-deficit diet. A euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp, muscle biopsy specimens, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy were used to determine insulin action, cellular insulin signaling, and intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content before, after 48 hours, and after approximately 11 weeks (7% weight loss) of diet therapy.

Results: At 48 hours, IHTG content decreased more in the LC than the HC diet group (29.6% +/- 4.8% vs 8.9% +/- 1.4%; P < .05) but was similar in both groups after 7% weight loss (LC diet, 38.0% +/- 4.5%; HC diet, 44.5% +/- 13.5%). Basal glucose production rate decreased more in the LC than the HC diet group at 48 hours (23.4% +/- 2.2% vs 7.2% +/- 1.4%; P < .05) and after 7% weight loss (20.0% +/- 2.4% vs 7.9% +/- 1.2%; P < .05). Insulin-mediated glucose uptake did not change at 48 hours but increased similarly in both groups after 7% weight loss (48.4% +/- 14.3%; P < .05). In both groups, insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of c-Jun-N-terminal kinase decreased by 29% +/- 13% and phosphorylation of Akt and insulin receptor substrate 1 increased by 35% +/- 9% and 36% +/- 9%, respectively, after 7% weight loss (all P < .05).

Conclusions: Moderate calorie restriction causes temporal changes in liver and skeletal muscle metabolism; 48 hours of calorie restriction affects the liver (IHTG content, hepatic insulin sensitivity, and glucose production), whereas moderate weight loss affects muscle (insulin-mediated glucose uptake and insulin signaling).

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Changes in body composition and intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content after 48 h (2% weight loss) and ~11 weeks (7% weight loss) of calorie restriction in obese subjects consuming either a high-carbohydrate or low-carbohydrate 1000 kcal/d deficit diet. Values are means ± SEM. Value significantly different from baseline value; *P<0.05, **P<0.001; #Value significantly different from corresponding high-carbohydrate diet group, P<0.05. FM=Fat Mass, FFM= Fat-free Mass
Figure 2
Figure 2
Relative changes in basal glucose Rate of appearance (Ra) in plasma after 48 h of calorie restriction and 7% weight loss. Values are means ± SEM. *Value significantly different from baseline value; P<0.001. # Value significantly different from value in AC group; P<0.001.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hepatic insulin sensitivity index (HISI) (top panel) in subjects consuming ether a high-carbohydrate or low-carbohydrate diet and changes in insulin mediated glucose uptake, an index of skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity, in both groups combined (bottom panel) after 48 h and ~11 wks (7% weight loss) of calorie restriction. Value significantly different from baseline value: * P<0.05, ** P<0.001. Value significantly different from value in HC group, # P<0.05.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Hepatic insulin sensitivity index (HISI) (top panel) in subjects consuming ether a high-carbohydrate or low-carbohydrate diet and changes in insulin mediated glucose uptake, an index of skeletal muscle insulin sensitivity, in both groups combined (bottom panel) after 48 h and ~11 wks (7% weight loss) of calorie restriction. Value significantly different from baseline value: * P<0.05, ** P<0.001. Value significantly different from value in HC group, # P<0.05.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Changes in phosphoTyr183 JNK, phosphoTyr IRS, and phosphoSer473 Akt/PKB protein levels in vastus lateralis muscle biopsies obtained after 30 min of insulin infusion during a euglycemic-hyperinsulinenmic clamp procedure after 48 h and ~11 wks (7% weight loss) of calorie restriction. Values are corrected for total JNK, IRS1, and Akt/PKB protein content and normalized (=0) to values from baseline samples (day 0). Values are means± SEM. Value significantly different from corresponding baseline value, *p<0.05.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Bray GA, Bellanger T. Epidemiology, trends, and morbidities of obesity and the metabolic syndrome. Endocrine. 2006;29:109–17. - PubMed
    1. Adams LA, Lymp JF, St Sauver J, Sanderson SO, Lindor KD, Feldstein A, Angulo P. The natural history of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a population-based cohort study. Gastroenterology. 2005;129:113–21. - PubMed
    1. Goldstein DJ. Beneficial health effects of modest weight loss. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1992;16:397–415. - PubMed
    1. Kelley DE, Wing R, Buonocore C, Sturis J, Polonsky K, Fitzsimmons M. Relative effects of calorie restriction and weight loss in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1993;77:1287–93. - PubMed
    1. Petersen KF, Dufour S, Befroy D, Lehrke M, Hendler RE, Shulman GI. Reversal of nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis, hepatic insulin resistance, and hyperglycemia by moderate weight reduction in patients with type 2 diabetes. Diabetes. 2005;54:603–8. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types