We conducted a randomized controlled trial to examine the effect of two energy-restricted diets on body weight (BW), visceral fat (VF) loss, and the risk factors for metabolic syndrome. A total of 144 centrally obese postmenopausal women were assigned to the moderate in fat Mediterranean diet (MED) or to the Central European diet (CED), which is moderate in carbohydrates and high in dietary fiber (DF), for 16 weeks. BW, waist circumference and VF were significantly reduced by 8.8%, 7.0%, and 24.6%, respectively, over the trial (P < 0.001), with no difference between groups. A similar trend was seen for total cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, and blood pressure. Within each diet group, the more adherent participants lost significantly more BW than did their less adherent counterparts. VF was significantly reduced only in women who were more adherent to the CED, and the reduction in VF correlated with an increase in the proportion of DF. Short-term dietary treatment with the CED or the MED was associated with similar improvements in some anthropometric, lipid, and nonlipid parameters; however, adequate adherence to the prescribed diet is important in weight loss success and in achieving improvements in metabolic health.

The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is increasing worldwide. Its etiology includes nutritional, genetic, and lifestyle factors. Several mechanisms may link one-carbon metabolism – the associated metabolic pathways of folate, methionine, and choline – to the onset of NAFLD. In this review, we attempted to assess how choline, folate, methionine, and betaine affect NAFLD development, mainly through their role in the secretion of very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) from the liver. We also reviewed recent articles that have described the relation between microbiota metabolism and NAFLD progression. Moreover, we describe the effect of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in genes related to one-carbon metabolism and disease prevalence. We additionally seek SNP identified by genome-wide associations that may increase the risk of this disease. Even though the evidence available is not entirely consistent, it seems that the concentrations of choline, methionine, folate, and betaine may affect the progression of NAFLD. Since there is no effective therapy for NAFLD, further investigations into the link between nutrition, gut microbiota, genetic factors, and NAFLD are still necessary, with a particular emphasis on methyl donors.

www.food.actapol.net pISSN 1644-0730 eISSN 1898-9594 http://dx. ABSTRACTBackground. Metabolic syndrome (MS) is a powerful risk factor for atherosclerosis (AT). The crucial method of minimizing the development of atherosclerosis and its clinical manifestations is lifestyle modifications, including following a healthy diet. The aim of the study was to check if the Central European Diet (CED) could be an alternative to the Mediterranean Diet (MED) in the prevention of AT in patients with a risk of MS. Methods. The randomized, single-blind nutritional trial involved 144 obese women with a risk of MS. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups and followed MED (n = 72) or CED (n = 72) for 16 weeks. The concentrations of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and asymmetrical dimethylarginine (ADMA) were measured before and after nutritional intervention. Results. In both studied groups, the concentrations of hs-CRP decreased significantly after the nutritional intervention (CED: p = 0.0107; MED: p = 0.0002). The ADMA levels were significantly lower after nutritional intervention in the CED group (p = 0.0187) but not in the MED group (p = 0.8354). However, the observed changes of hs-CRP concentrations (Δhs-CRP) and ADMA levels (ΔADMA) were not different between the groups (p = 0.5307 and p = 0.0905, respectively). Conclusion. In the Central European post-menopausal obese population, a well-designed, energy-restricted diet with the use of food items traditional for the region (CED) could be a good alternative to MED in terms of AT prevention.

The hypothesis that habitual fat intake, the IL6 genotype, the Mediterranean diet or the central European diet for 16 weeks affect biomarkers of inflammation in centrally obese postmenopausal women, was tested in a randomized controlled trial. Dietary intake was assessed using a three-day food diary. Lipid parameters were measured using a Beckman Coulter AU analyzer. Transcription of TNF and IL6 genes was analyzed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells using real-time PCR. Concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and interleukin 6 (IL6) were measured with ELISA. rs1800795 polymorphism of IL6 was analyzed using hydrolyzing probes. Higher energy intake from fat was associated with higher IL6 levels (p < 0.05). Significantly (p < 0.01) lower total cholesterol (T-C) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations were observed in the GG IL6 rs1800795 genotype group. Both diets significantly (p < 0.001) decreased TNFα concentrations. Neither IL6 gene transcription levels nor blood IL6 concentrations were affected by them. Our findings confirm that habitual fat intake may affect inflammation. The rs1800795 IL6 polymorphism alone did not significantly affect body weight or body composition in aimed group, but C-allele carriers had higher levels of T-C and LDL-C. This polymorphism did not affect inflammation. Both diets may lead to a decrease in TNFα concentration.

Fatty acid (FA) status is associated with the risk of several diet-related diseases. Since postmenopausal women are at increased risk of cardiometabolic disturbances, determinants of FA metabolism should be fully understood in this group. We hypothesize that FA metabolism in postmenopausal Polish women may depend on current macronutrient intake and on fatty acid desaturase (FADS) gene polymorphism. One-hundred-and-twenty-eight postmenopausal women with central obesity were recruited to the study and their dietary intake, FA composition in red blood cells (RBC), and rs174556, rs174561, rs174547, and rs3834458 polymorphism of the FADS gene were analyzed. Higher levels of 18:2n-6t level in RBC were associated with higher protein or fat intake or with lower carbohydrate intake. The minor allele carriers of rs174561 of the fatty acid desaturase 1 (FADS1) gene had 9.7% lower concentration of 20:4n–6 in RBC (p < 0.05), but there were no other associations between other FA in RBC levels and FADS1 or fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2) polymorphisms. The mean D5D value was 15.3–17.9% lower in the minor allele carriers of each SNPs. We concluded that protein and carbohydrate intake may be associated with FA concentrations in RBC in centrally obese postmenopausal Polish women. The D5D value may be affected by FADS1 or FADS2 polymorphism.