title: Metabolic response to low- and very-low-calorie diets.
abstract: We compared the metabolic effects of 8-wk caloric restrictions with 330 or 780 kcal/d in two groups of eight obese hospitalized subjects; six control subjects were also studied. Loss of weight but not of adipose tissue was significantly greater on the 330-kcal/d diet. It is likely that dehydration rather than protein catabolism was responsible for additional loss of fat-free mass in the 330-kcal/d group because the nitrogen deficit was not excessive. The thermic response to food was blunted only in the 330-kcal/d group whereas resting oxygen uptake decreased by equal amounts in both groups. There was a decrease in 24-h urinary noradrenaline in the 330-kcal/d group but plasma fT4 was sustained when compared with the 780-kcal/d group; fT3 decreased significantly more quickly in the 330-kcal/d group. There was no correlation between plasma hormone levels and changes in oxygen uptake. Hunger scores were greater on the 780-kcal/d diet.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: I M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Baillie
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rattan
authors.forename: A N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Howard
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000378:metabolism; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D002149:Energy Intake; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006815:Hunger; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D013963:Thyroid Hormones