Effects of Diet Macronutrient Composition on Visceral Adiposity During Weight Maintenance

Macronutrient composition of the diet may affect propensity to distribute fat centripetally, and thus influence risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine if consumption of a relatively low glycemic load (GL) diet would result in preferential loss of visceral adipose tissue under eucaloric conditions and to determine if these effects were gender‐specific. Participants were 69 healthy overweight men and women. Body composition was assessed by DXA and fat distribution by CT scan at baseline and after 8 weeks of a eucaloric diet intervention. Participants were provided all food for the intervention period, and randomized to either a low GL diet (<45 points per 1000 kcal; n=40) or high GL diet (>75 points per 1000 kcal, n=29). Results indicated women in the low GL group lost 15.1% (P=0.001) IAAT, while women in the high GL diet group lost 1% (P=0.82), men in the high GL diet group gained 4.2% (P=0.55), and men in the low GL diet group lost 4.3% (P=0.44). Women on the low GL diet had a significant reduction in SHBG (p=0.01) after 8 wks and loss of IAAT was significantly associated with 8‐wk estradiol (p=0.02). Consumption of a relatively low GL diet may induce reduction in IAAT independent of weight change, specifically among women. These affects may be mediated by diet‐induced alterations in the sex hormone environment.