The Antioxidant Potential of the Mediterranean Diet as a Predictor of Weight Loss after a Very Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet (VLCKD) in Women with Overweight and Obesity
Ludovica Verde,
Maria Dalamaga,
Xavier Capó,
Giuseppe Annunziata,
Maria Hassapidou,
Annamaria Docimo,
Silvia Savastano,
Annamaria Colao,
Giovanna Muscogiuri,
Luigi Barrea
Affiliations
Ludovica Verde
Centro Italiano Per la Cura e il Benessere del Paziente con Obesità (C.I.B.O), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Unit of Endocrinology, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Maria Dalamaga
Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
Xavier Capó
Translational Research In Aging and Longevity (TRIAL) Group, Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands (IdISBa), 07120 Palma, Spain
Giuseppe Annunziata
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Via Domenico Montesano 59, 80131 Naples, Italy
Maria Hassapidou
Department of Nutritional Sciences and Dietetics, International Hellenic University, 57400 Thessaloniki, Greece
Annamaria Docimo
Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Unit of Endocrinology, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Silvia Savastano
Centro Italiano Per la Cura e il Benessere del Paziente con Obesità (C.I.B.O), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Unit of Endocrinology, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Annamaria Colao
Centro Italiano Per la Cura e il Benessere del Paziente con Obesità (C.I.B.O), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Unit of Endocrinology, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Giovanna Muscogiuri
Centro Italiano Per la Cura e il Benessere del Paziente con Obesità (C.I.B.O), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Unit of Endocrinology, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Luigi Barrea
Centro Italiano Per la Cura e il Benessere del Paziente con Obesità (C.I.B.O), Dipartimento di Medicina Clinica e Chirurgia, Unit of Endocrinology, Federico II University Medical School of Naples, Via Sergio Pansini 5, 80131 Napoli, Italy
Obesity involves a chronic state of low-grade inflammation, which is linked to the development of several comorbidities. Recently, the very low-calorie ketogenic diet (VLCKD) has gained great interest in the treatment of obesity, almost ousting the ancient and healthy Mediterranean diet (MD). However, because these dietary regimens exploit different pathophysiological mechanisms, we hypothesize that adherence to the MD may play a role in determining the efficacy of the VLCKD. We enrolled 318 women (age 38.84 ± 14.37 years; BMI 35.75 ± 5.18 kg/m²) and assessed their anthropometric parameters, body compositions, and adherence to the MD (with the PREvención con DIetaMEDiterránea (PREDIMED) questionnaire) at baseline. The anthropometric parameters and body composition were repeated at the end of the VLCKD. At the end of the VLCKD, the women with high adherence to the MD achieved the best results in terms of weight loss and improved body composition. Specifically, the women who were above the median of fat mass (FM)% reduction had the best MD pattern, characterized by a higher consumption of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO), fruits, vegetables, and red wine, as well as a higher adherence to the MD than the women who were below the same median. In a multiple regression analysis, the PREDIMED score was the main predictor of the FM% reduction score and came in first, followed by fruit, EVOO, and glasses of wine, in predicting the percentage reduction in FM. A PREDIMED score value of > 5 could serve as a threshold to identify patients who are more likely to lose FM at the end of the VLCKD. In conclusion, high adherence to the MD resulted in higher VLCKD efficacy. This could be due to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the MD, which are capable of establishing a metabolic set-up that is favorable to the onset of more effective ketosis.
