Quantitation of Human Whole-Body Synthesis-Secretion Rates of Docosahexaenoic Acid and Eicosapentaenoate Acid from Circulating Unesterified α-Linolenic Acid at Steady State.

The rate at which dietary α-linolenic acid (ALA) is desaturated and elongated to its longer-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in humans is not agreed upon. In this study, we applied a methodology developed using rodents to investigate the whole-body, presumably hepatic, synthesis-secretion rates of esterified n-3 PUFA from circulating unesterified ALA in 2 healthy overweight women after 10 weeks of low-linoleate diet exposure. During continuous iv infusion of d5-ALA, 17 arterial blood samples were collected from each subject at -10, 0, 10, 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, 150, 180, and 210 min, and at 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 h after beginning infusion.

Calorie for Calorie, Dietary Fat Restriction Results in More Body Fat Loss than Carbohydrate Restriction in People with Obesity.

Dietary carbohydrate restriction has been purported to cause endocrine adaptations that promote body fat loss more than dietary fat restriction. We selectively restricted dietary carbohydrate versus fat for 6 days following a 5-day baseline diet in 19 adults with obesity confined to a metabolic ward where they exercised daily. Subjects received both isocaloric diets in random order during each of two inpatient stays.

Weight Loss Programs May Have Beneficial or Adverse Effects on Fat Mass and Insulin Sensitivity in Overweight and Obese Black Women.

Objective: Weight loss interventions have produced little change in insulin sensitivity in black women, but mean data may obscure metabolic benefit to some and adverse effects for others. Accordingly, we analyzed insulin sensitivity relative to fat mass change following a weight loss program.

Design And Methods: Fifty-four black women (BMI range 25.

Free fatty acid flux in African-American and Caucasian adults--effect of sex and race.

Objective: Obesity, insulin resistance, and diabetes disproportionately affect African-American (AA) women. Abnormal adipose tissue free fatty acid (FFA) release is associated with these conditions. Resting energy expenditure (REE) and sex predict FFA release in Caucasians, but whether this is true in AA is unknown.

Fatty acid and very low density lipoprotein metabolism in obese African American and Caucasian women with type 2 diabetes.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is associated with increased plasma triglyceride (TG) concentrations, but African Americans (AA) have lower plasma TG than Caucasians (CC). We evaluated the hypothesis that obese AA women have lower plasma TG than obese CC women do because of differences in lipid kinetics. Eleven AA and 11 CC obese women with T2DM, matched on body mass index (BMI) (AA = 37 ± 1, CC = 37 ± 1 kg/m(2)), age, duration of diabetes, percentage body fat, and insulin sensitivity (S(I), determined by an intravenous glucose tolerance test), were studied.

Bayesian functional integral method for inferring continuous data from discrete measurements.

Inference of the insulin secretion rate (ISR) from C-peptide measurements as a quantification of pancreatic β-cell function is clinically important in diseases related to reduced insulin sensitivity and insulin action. ISR derived from C-peptide concentration is an example of nonparametric Bayesian model selection where a proposed ISR time-course is considered to be a "model". An inferred value of inaccessible continuous variables from discrete observable data is often problematic in biology and medicine, because it is a priori unclear how robust the inference is to the deletion of data points, and a closely related question, how much smoothness or continuity the data actually support.

Metabolic syndrome does not detect metabolic risk in African men living in the U.S.

Objective: Metabolic risk and metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) prevalence were compared in Africans who immigrated to the U.S. and African Americans.

Relationship between treatment preference and weight loss in the context of a randomized controlled trial.

Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are considered the gold standard used to assess the efficacy of treatment. While a well implemented RCT can produce an unbiased estimate of the relative difference between treatment groups, the generalizability of these findings may be limited. Specific threats to the external validity include treatment preference.

Higher acute insulin response to glucose may determine greater free fatty acid clearance in African-American women.

Context: Obesity and diabetes are more common in African-Americans than whites. Because free fatty acids (FFA) participate in the development of these conditions, studying race differences in the regulation of FFA and glucose by insulin is essential.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine whether race differences exist in glucose and FFA response to insulin.

Change in food cravings, food preferences, and appetite during a low-carbohydrate and low-fat diet.

The study objective was to evaluate the effect of prescribing a low-carbohydrate diet (LCD) and a low-fat diet (LFD) on food cravings, food preferences, and appetite. Obese adults were randomly assigned to a LCD (n = 134) or a LFD (n = 136) for 2 years. Cravings for specific types of foods (sweets, high-fats, fast-food fats, and carbohydrates/starches); preferences for high-sugar, high-carbohydrate, and low-carbohydrate/high-protein foods; and appetite were measured during the trial and evaluated during this secondary analysis of trial data.

The triglyceride/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio fails to predict insulin resistance in African-American women: an analysis of Jackson Heart Study.

Background: Compared to whites, insulin-resistant African Americans have worse outcomes. Screening programs that could identify insulin resistance early enough for intervention to affect outcome often rely on triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels. Racial differences in TG and HDL-C may compromise the efficacy of these programs in African Americans.

Effect of moderate diet-induced weight loss and weight regain on cardiovascular structure and function.

Objectives: The objective of this prospective, single-site, 2-year dietary intervention study was to evaluate the effects of moderate weight reduction and subsequent partial weight regain on cardiovascular structure and function.

Background: Obesity is associated with adverse cardiac and vascular structural and functional alterations.

Methods: Sixty obese subjects (age 46 + or - 10 years, body mass index 37 + or - 3 kg/m(2)) were evaluated during their participation in a weight loss study.

An evaluation of the atkins' diet.

Low-carbohydrate (LC) weight-reducing diets are popular choices for self-dieters. Eighteen adults (BMI >/= 25 kg/m(2)) were enrolled in this short-term longitudinal study to evaluate dietary intake and weight on their "usual" diets and LC diet. Subjects were instructed to follow the first two phases of the diet described in Dr.

Effect of lifestyle intervention on metabolic coronary heart disease risk factors in obese older adults.

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors increase with age and body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2). However, whether lifestyle intervention ameliorates metabolic CHD risk factors in obese older adults is unknown.

Objective: The objective was to determine whether lifestyle intervention improves metabolic CHD risk factors in obese older adults.