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Alternate day fasting increases LDL particle size independently of dietary fat content in obese humans

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages 783–785 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Alternate day fasting (ADF) with a low-fat (LF) diet increases low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particle size. Whether these beneficial effects can be reproduced by a high-fat (HF) ADF diet is unclear. This study compared an ADF–HF to an ADF–LF diet on plasma lipids, LDL size and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) size. Thirty-five obese subjects were randomized to an ADF–HF or ADF–LF diet for 10 weeks. Body weight decreased (P<0.0001) by 4.3±1.0 kg (4.8±1.1%) and 3.7±0.7 kg (4.2±0.8%) in the ADF–HF and ADF–LF group, respectively. LDL cholesterol was reduced (P<0.0001) by 19±8 mg/dl (18±5%) by ADF–HF and 28±7 mg/dl (25±3%) by ADF–LF. LDL particle size increased (P<0.005) by 3±1 Å in both groups. The proportion of small LDL particles decreased (P<0.005) by 8±2% and 11±3% in the ADF–HF and ADF–LF groups, respectively. HDL cholesterol and HDL size remained unchanged. Thus, our results suggest that the ADF–HF diet is equally as effective as the ADF–LF diet in improving LDL particle size and distribution.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the research participants for their enthusiasm and commitment to the study. This study was funded by the Departmental grant, Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois, Chicago.

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  1. Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    M C Klempel, C M Kroeger & K A Varady

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  1. M C Klempel
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  2. C M Kroeger
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  3. K A Varady
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Correspondence to M C Klempel.

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Klempel, M., Kroeger, C. & Varady, K. Alternate day fasting increases LDL particle size independently of dietary fat content in obese humans. Eur J Clin Nutr 67, 783–785 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.83

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.83

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