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

• Published in: Nutrition research (New York, N.Y.) Vol. 87; pp. 22 - 30
• Main Authors: Cipryan, Lukas, Dostal, Tomas, Plews, Daniel J., Hofmann, Peter, Laursen, Paul B.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01-03-2021
• Subjects: Adipokines; Cholesterol; Exercise; Inflammation; Interleukin-6; Low carbohydrate diet; βHB; GXT; BF; CL; Inflammation; CHO; Adipokines; HIIT; Cholesterol; ES; Interleukin-6; hs-IL-6; Low carbohydrate diet; Exercise; TG; VLCHF; V˙O2max; Adpn/Lep ratio; HD; HbA1c; LDL/HDL
• ISSN: 0271-5317; 1879-0739
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2020.12.012

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, BF10 = 22.15). The adiponectin-leptin ratio changes were associated with both a significant increase in adiponectin (−0.79 [−0.91, −0.54], P ≤ .001, BF10 = 9.43) and a significant decrease in leptin (0.58 [0.19, 0.81], P = .014, BF10 = 2.70). There was moderate evidence of changes in total cholesterol (−1.15 [−2.01, −0.27], P = .010, BF10 = 5.20), and LDL cholesterol (−1.12 [−2.01, −0.21], P = .016, BF10 = 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 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.