Seeking Optimal Nutrition for Healthy Body Mass Reduction Among Former Athletes

Abstract

The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of 6 week Mediterranean diet or 30% calorie restriction on the fatty acid profile and eicosanoids (hydroxyoctadecadienoi acids and hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acids) concentration. Furthermore, basic biochemical variables such as insulin, glucose, HOMA-IR, and a lipid profile were estimated. The study enrolled 94 Caucasian former athletes aged 20-42, with body height of 179 ± 16.00 cm and body mass of 89.26 ± 13.25 kg who had not been active for at least 5 years. The subjects were randomly assigned to one of the three intervention groups: CR group – the 30% calorie restriction (n = 32), MD group - the Mediterranean diet (n = 34), and C group - a control group (n = 28). The pattern of nutrition was analysed before and after the experiment using the 72 h food diaries. In order to evaluate the effect of diet intervention, the following variables were measured: anthropometrics, basic biochemical variables (insulin, fasting glucose, HOMA-IR, lipid profile), fatty acids and their blood derivatives profiles. The CR group showed significantly lower levels of several biochemical variables, i.e., BMI, total cholesterol LDL, TG, total lipids, insulin and HOMA – IR (p < 0.05). Subjects consuming the MD diet significantly decreased their BMI and reduced the level of total lipids (p < 0.05). We did not find any significant changes in the C group. The analysis of the fatty acid profile revealed that the CR group had a significantly decreased EPA level (p < 0.05). The MD group showed a significantly increased level of the DHA (p < 0.05) and improvement in the omega - 3 index (p < 0.05). Subjects following the MD also showed significantly lower concentrations of 15 - hydroxyicosatetraenoic acid (15-HETE). We did not observe any significant differences between the CR and C groups. Within short time, calorie restriction helps to improve lipid variables and insulin resistance. The MD diet seems to be more advantageous in the decrease of inflammation, but does not improve basic biochemical variables. We can conclude that calorie restriction can be a good choice for former athletes, although EPA and DHA supplementation is needed.

The Effects of Low-Energy Moderate-Carbohydrate (MCD) and Mixed (MixD) Diets on Serum Lipid Profiles and Body Composition in Middle-Aged Men: A Randomized Controlled Parallel-Group Clinical Trial

“…In the past, we also experimented with a reduced-calorie diet [3,6]. After six weeks of diet with reduced calories, we did not observe as many changes in body fat content or in other biochemical parameters as we expected [3,6]. In the diet with daily reduced calories, more than 20% from TDEE, it was very difficult for participants to restrict their sweets and alcohol, and twenty-one out of ninety-four of them left the study [6].…”

“…Most of them do not want to give up sweets, fast foods, and alcohol, and they are aware that these products are unhealthy [5,6,9]. In the past, we also experimented with a reduced-calorie diet [3,6]. After six weeks of diet with reduced calories, we did not observe as many changes in body fat content or in other biochemical parameters as we expected [3,6].…”

“…In particular, elevated LDL-C, which is a strongly prominent factor in arteriosclerosis, will be oxidized, and this increases atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels [5,9,11]. In the past decade or two, numerous studies have been carried out on the impact of two diet models, low-calorie and low-carbohydrate diets, to reduce fat content and decrease the risk of dyslipidemia or insulin resistance in overweight and obese adults [3,6,9,11,18,19,24]. Many researchers have shown that low-carbohydrate diets have a positive effect on triglyceride levels [9,18,19,[25][26][27][28], adipose tissue [9], blood glucose, and CRP concentration [9,26].…”

“…Unhealthy adult lifestyles, especially improper dietary habits, are believed to play an important role in the development of contemporary-civilization diseases [1][2][3]. Numerous studies have investigated the association between diet and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and many other diseases [3][4][5][6].…”

“…Unhealthy adult lifestyles, especially improper dietary habits, are believed to play an important role in the development of contemporary-civilization diseases [1][2][3]. Numerous studies have investigated the association between diet and obesity, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis, and many other diseases [3][4][5][6]. In the diet of modern Europe, the carbohydrate content ranges between 31.9% and 63.2% of all calories consumed, while the fat content ranges between 30% There is a lack of studies comparing the influence of a low-energy mixed diet and a low-energy moderate-carbohydrate diet on body mass, body fat, and blood biochemical parameters.…”