Adipokines; Inflammation; Low carbohydrate diet; Exercise; Interleukin-6; Cholesterol

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, BF 10 = 22.15). The adiponectin-leptin ratio changes were associated with both a significant increase in adiponectin ( -0.79 [ -0.91, -0.54], P ≤ .001, BF 10 = 9.43) and a significant decrease in leptin (0.58 [0.19, 0.81], P = .014, BF 10 = 2.70). There was moderate evidence of changes in total cholesterol ( -1.15 [ -2.01, -0.27], P = .010, BF 10 = 5.20), and LDL cholesterol ( -1.12 [ -2.01, -0.21], P = .016, BF 10 = 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 & nbsp; & nbsp;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.