Low-glycaemic load diet shown to have beneficial effects on HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides but not on LDL-cholesterol in a randomized trial
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This trial was designed to determine whether individual variation in post-load insulin secretion may affect weight loss magnitude induced by two popular diets: a low-glycaemic load (40% carbohydrate and 35% fat) vs a low-fat one (55% carbohydrate and 20% fat). A total of 73 obese young adults participated in the study consisting of a 6-month intensive intervention period and a 12-month follow-up period. As a measure of insulin secretion, serum insulin concentration at 30 minutes after a 75-g dose of oral glucose was determined at baseline. Although changes in body weight and body fat percentage did not differ between the two diet groups, insulin secretion at 30 minutes after a dose of oral glucose was an effect modifier. For those with insulin concentration at 30 minutes above the median, the low-glycaemic load diet produced a greater decrease in weight (-5.8 vs -1.2 kg; P=0.004) and body fat percentage (-2.6% vs -0.9%; P=0.03) than the low-fat diet at 18 months. These between-group differences were not observed in subjects with insulin concentrations at 30 minutes below the median level. In the full cohort, plasma HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations improved more in the low-glycaemic load diet group, whilst LDL-cholesterol improved more in the low-fat diet group. The authors conclude that variability in dietary weight loss trials may be partially attributable to individual differences in post-meal hormonal response.
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