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Effect of weight loss by a low-fat diet and a low-carbohydrate diet on peptide YY levels

International Journal of Obesity volume 34, pages 1239–1242 (2010)Cite this article

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Abstract

Objective:

To compare the effects of weight loss by an energy-restricted low-fat diet vs low-carbohydrate diet on serum peptide YY (PYY) levels.

Design:

8-week prospective study of 30 obese adults (mean age: 42.8±2.0 years, mean body mass index 35.5±0.6 kg m−2).

Results:

After 8 weeks, subjects on the low-carbohydrate diet lost substantially more weight than those on the low-fat diet (5.8 vs 0.99 kg, P<0.001). Weight loss by either diet resulted in a 9% reduction in both mean fasting serum PYY levels (baseline: 103.5±8.8 pg ml−1, after weight loss: 94.1±6.5 pg ml−1, P<0.01) and postprandial area under the curve (AUC) PYY (baseline: (20.5±1.5) × 103 pg h−1 ml−1, after weight loss: mean AUC PYY (18.8±1.4) × 103 pg h−1 ml−1, P<0.001). There was a trend towards lower levels of PYY with greater degrees of weight loss.

Conclusions:

Reduced PYY levels after weight loss by an energy-restricted low-fat or low-carbohydrate diet likely represents a compensatory response to maintain energy homeostasis and contributes to difficulty in weight loss during energy-restricted diets.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by NIH Grant K12 DA14041-03 (PAE), K24HD40237 (JEN), and Clinical Research Center Grant MO1-RR00065, NCRR (SNS, SMK).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA

    P A Essah & J E Nestler

  2. McGuire Veterans Administration Medical Center, Richmond, VA, USA

    J R Levy

  3. General Clinical Research Center, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA

    S N Sistrun & S M Kelly

  4. Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine, Richmond, VA, USA

    J E Nestler

Authors
  1. P A Essah
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  2. J R Levy
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  3. S N Sistrun
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  4. S M Kelly
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  5. J E Nestler
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Correspondence to P A Essah.

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Essah, P., Levy, J., Sistrun, S. et al. Effect of weight loss by a low-fat diet and a low-carbohydrate diet on peptide YY levels. Int J Obes 34, 1239–1242 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.48

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