Sample menu for the HPLC and HCLP diets.

<p>The amounts that were prescribed to consume were based on individual daily energy requirements.</p><p>Sample menu for the HPLC and HCLP diets.</p

Flow diagram (CONSORT).

<p>HCLP, high-carbohydrate low-protein; HPLC, high-protein low-carbohydrate.</p

The Potential of a High Protein-Low Carbohydrate Diet to Preserve Intrahepatic Triglyceride Content in Healthy Humans

<div><p>Background</p><p>Protein supplementation has been shown to reduce the increases in intrahepatic triglyceride (IHTG) content induced by acute hypercaloric high-fat and high-fructose diets in humans.</p><p>Objective</p><p>To assess the effect of a 12-wk iso-energetic high protein-low carbohydrate (HPLC) diet compared with an iso-energetic high carbohydrate-low protein (HCLP) diet on IHTG content in healthy non-obese subjects, at a constant body weight.</p><p>Design</p><p>Seven men and nine women [mean ± SD age: 24±5 y; BMI: 22.9±2.1 kg/m²] were randomly allocated to a HPLC [30/35/35% of energy (En%) from protein/carbohydrate/fat] or a HCLP (5/60/35 En%) diet by stratification on sex, age and BMI. Dietary guidelines were prescribed based on individual daily energy requirements. IHTG content was measured by ¹H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy before and after the dietary intervention.</p><p>Results</p><p>IHTG content changed in different directions with the HPLC (CH₂H₂O: 0.23±0.17 to 0.20±0.10; IHTG%: 0.25±0.20% to 0.22±0.11%) compared with the HCLP diet (CH₂H₂O: 0.34±0.20 vs. 0.38±0.21; IHTG%: 0.38±0.22% vs. 0.43±0.24%), which resulted in a lower IHTG content in the HPLC compared with the HCLP diet group after 12 weeks, which almost reached statistical significance (<i>P</i> = 0.055).</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>A HPLC vs. a HCLP diet has the potential to preserve vs. enlarge IHTG content in healthy non-obese subjects at a constant body weight.</p><p>Trial Registration</p><p>Clinicaltrials.gov <a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01551238?term=NCT01551238&rank=1" target="_blank">NCT01551238</a></p></div

Subject characteristics, anthropometrics and IHTG content in the HPLC and HCLP diet groups at baseline and after 12 weeks.

<p>Values represent numbers or means ± SD.</p><p>*Trend (<i>P</i> = 0.055) for factorial ANOVA with repeated measures between diet groups.</p><p>BW, body weight; HCLP, high-carbohydrate low-protein; HPLC, high-protein low-carbohydrate; IHTG, intrahepatic triglyceride.</p><p>Subject characteristics, anthropometrics and IHTG content in the HPLC and HCLP diet groups at baseline and after 12 weeks.</p

Characteristics of men and women.

<p>Values are means±SD.</p>a<p>p-value: differences between men and women (factorial ANOVA).</p><p>n.s. = non-significant.</p

Salivary cortisol concentrations (mean±SEM) at six time points (0, 30, 80, 125, 155, and 205 min) throughout the four test sessions: rest-carbohydrate (RC), stress-carbohydrate (SC), rest-protein (RP), stress-protein (SP); for men (n = 19, M) and women (n = 19, F).

<p>**p<0.0001 for overall (AUC) higher cortisol levels in men vs. women; #p<0.05 for higher meal-induced increase in cortisol levels in men vs. women (time point 80–125 min); *p<0.03 for increased cortisol levels in men in all conditions, in women in RP and SP (time point 80 vs. 125 min).</p