A Short Term Evaluation of a Structured Weight Loss Plan in Overweight and Obese Adults

The present study is designed to examine the effect of changes in body weight and related parameters associated with a commercially-available, low-carbohydrate diet plan. A parameter proposed to be studied here is the impact of fructose restriction and weight loss on serum uric acid concentrations and arterial stiffness.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Metabolic Syndrome
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: "Grab-and-Go" meal plan; Other: "Jump-Start" meal plan

Detailed Description

It is well know that consumption of a calorically-restricted diet helps people lose weight. Such a diet with low carbohydrate lowers the serum uric acid concentration which is a factor associated with obesity and also represents a particular metabolic risk in women compared to men. The present weight loss study will determine whether women benefit more than men to short-term weight loss occurring during restriction of simple sugars.

Specifically, this study is designed to cause weight loss acutely through consumption of a diet that is restricted in calorie and simple sugars. Both men and women will be studied and their results compared to determine whether women benefit more with respect to arterial stiffness. Upon finishing the four-week diet intervention, body weight and blood lipids will be assessed two and four weeks later to compare the longer term effect on blood pressure.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Missouri
    • Columbia, Missouri, United States, 65212
      • University of Missouri

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 30 years to 55 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Men and premenopausal women
2. 30-55 years of age
3. Sedentary lifestyle, defined as less than three sessions of activity per week, or sessions less than 20 minutes per occasion, or less than 5000 steps per day
4. Must be able to speak, read, and write English (due to the small sample size and pilot nature of this study)
5. Overweight/obese subjects with BMI 27.0 - 40.0 kg/m2 and any one of the following characteristics of the metabolic syndrome:

A. Serum HDL cholesterol <40 mg/dL (1 mmol/L) in men and <50 mg/dL (1.3 mmol/L) in women B. Blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg C. Fasting plasma glucose ≥100 mg/dL (5.6 mmol/L) D. Waist circumference in men of >102 cm (40 in) and in women of >88 cm (35 in) E. Serum triglycerides (TG) ≥150 mg/dL (1.7 mmol/L).

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Abnormal thyroid function or known liver disease
2. Diabetes or fasting glucose ≥ 125 mg/dL
3. Use of medications that interfere with protein, carbohydrate or lipid metabolism (e.g., fish oil capsules)
4. Occasional or regular tobacco use
5. History of gout
6. Uncontrolled hypertension
7. Pregnant or peri-menopausal
8. Vegetarian food restrictions (the diets consumed contain some meat, eggs and dairy)
9. Alcohol intake: females > 70 g/wk, males >140 g/wk
10. Moderate or vigorous-intensity physical activity, defined as more than 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity, or 75 minutes a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Basic Science
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: "Grab-and-Go" meal plan; The intervention of this arm is to use a "Grab-and-Go" meal plan. This meal plan provides Atkins shakes and bars for breakfast, lunch, and snacks for 2 weeks. For dinner the subject is given a freshly-prepared meal. Upon finishing the 2-week provided food phase, the subject will consume a self-prepared meal of similar nutrient composition at home for another 2 weeks. For the next four weeks while he/she is still enrolled in the study, he/she will have his/her options for food choices which are not controlled for the study.	Other: "Grab-and-Go" meal plan; The "Grab-and-Go" meal plan will provide Atkins shakes and bars for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. For dinner, the participant will receive a freshly-prepared meal. There will be no difference in terms of calories or nutrient composition between "Grab-and-Go" meal plan versus "Jump-Start" meal plan. The amount of weight loss caused by these two meal plans is not expected to differ.
Active Comparator: "Jump-Start" meal plan; The intervention of this arm is to use a "Jump Start" meal plan. This meal plan provides Atkins frozen meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner for 2 weeks and these meals are supplemented with fresh salads and vegetables. Upon finishing the 2-week provided food phase, the subject will consume a self-prepared meal of similar nutrient composition at home for another 2 weeks. For the next four weeks while he/she is still enrolled in the study, he/she will have his/her options for food choices which are not controlled for the study.	Other: "Jump-Start" meal plan; The "Jump-Start" plan will provide Atkins frozen meals at breakfast, lunch and dinner and these meals will be supplemented with fresh salads and vegetables. There will be no difference in terms of calories or nutrient composition between "Grab-and-Go" meal plan versus "Jump-Start" meal plan. The amount of weight loss caused by these two meal plans is not expected to differ.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Weight Loss Between Baseline and 4 Weeks After Completion of Dietary Intervention	For statistical analysis, the body weight is measured at baseline and after 4 weeks after consumption of a calorie-restricted, low-carbohydrate diet.	Change of body weight over 4 weeks of dietary intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Arterial Stiffness Changes Between Baseline and 4 Weeks	Pulse wave velocity, a non-invasive indicator of arterial stiffness will be assessed at the baseline testing and 4 weeks after the start of the dietary intervention.	Arterial stiffness will be measured at baseline and 4 weeks
Plasma Uric Acid Level Between Baseline and 4 Weeks.	A fasting blood sample will be collected at baseline, 4 weeks after the start of the dietary intervention to measure plasma uric acid level.	Plasma uric acid level will be measured at baseline and 4 weeks
Change in Food Craving Questionnaire (FCI-II-State) at Baseline and 4 Weeks	Food craving questionnaire (FCI-II-State) will be administrated at baseline visit and the end of 4-week after dietary change. Cravings are assessed from 0 (no cravings: "Not at all") to 5 (high cravings: "Extremely/Always") for each of the five subscales measures including high-fat foods, sweets, carbohydrates/starches, fast-food fats, and fruits/vegetables. In addition, the scores for each of the subscales were averaged to produce a total cravings measure (also assessed from 0-5).	Questionnaires about food cravings will be administrated at baseline visit and 4 weeks after the start of the meal plan

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Missouri-Columbia
• Collaborators: Robert C. Atkins Foundation
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Qiong Hu, PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Syed-Abdul MM, Hu Q, Jacome-Sosa M, Padilla J, Manrique-Acevedo C, Heimowitz C, Parks EJ. Effect of carbohydrate restriction-induced weight loss on aortic pulse wave velocity in overweight men and women. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2018 Dec;43(12):1247-1256. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2018-0113. Epub 2018 May 10.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 1, 2017
• Study Completion (Actual): April 1, 2017

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 10, 2016
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 12, 2016
• First Posted (Estimate): May 17, 2016

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 30, 2023
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 28, 2023
• Last Verified: March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: blood pressure; weight loss; uric acid; arterial stiffness; gender
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Insulin Resistance; Hyperinsulinism; Body Weight Changes; Metabolic Syndrome; Weight Loss; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2004733

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO
• IPD Plan Description: After the study results are published we will share data with researchers who request this in writing.