title: Increased homocysteinemia is associated with beneficial effects on body weight after long-term high-protein, low-fat diet in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Diets rich in protein are often used for weight loss in obese patients, but their long-term effects are not fully understood. Homocysteine (Hcy) is considered to be a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and its levels are influenced by diet, particularly the protein and fat content. We studied the effect of diets with varying fat/protein content on body weight and composition, food intake, Hcy, B vitamins, leptin, and several pro-inflammatory cytokines.
  
  
  METHODS
  For 2 mo, Long-Evans rats were fed either a low protein/high fat (LP), a standard control (C), or a high protein/low fat (HP) diet containing 5, 15, or 40% protein, respectively, and normal carbohydrate content (55% of total energy).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HP rats ingested 12 to 15% fewer calories (P < 0.001), gained less weight (P < 0.04), and were less fatty (P < 0.01) than the other groups. Plasma Hcy was increased in HP rats compared to C (+23%) and LP (+29%) rats (P < 0.03). It was positively correlated with protein intake (r = 0.386; P < 0.01). No obvious signs of inflammation were observed in any of the groups. Hcy increase was related directly to decrease in plasma folate (r = -0.372; P < 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data confirm the beneficial effects of HP diets on body weight but bring attention to the control of folate allowance to limit the adverse effects of elevated Hcy. Ingestion of folate-rich foods or even folate supplementation should be considered when using these HP diets over the long term for weight loss.
authors.affiliation: INSERM, U954, Nutrition, Génétique et Expositions aux Risques Environnementaux, Vandœuvre-les-Nancy, France. bernard.beck@nancy.inserm.fr
authors.forename: Bernard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Beck
authors.forename: Carine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bossenmeyer-Pourié
authors.forename: Elise
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jeannesson
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Richy
authors.forename: Jean-Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Guéant
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002149:Energy Intake; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood; D006710:Homocysteine / Q000097:blood*; D020138:Hyperhomocysteinemia / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D004044:Dietary Proteins; D006710:Homocysteine; D005492:Folic Acid