A Low-Glycemic, Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle Modification Program with Targeted Nutraceuticals Reduces Body Weight, Improves Cardiometabolic Variables and Longevity Biomarkers in Overweight Subjects: A 13-Week Observational Trial

• Published in: Journal of medicinal food Vol. 22; no. 5; p. 479
• Main Authors: Tripp, Matthew L, Dahlberg, Clinton J, Eliason, Sarah, Lamb, Joseph J, Ou, Joseph J, Gao, Wei, Bhandari, Jay, Graham, David, Dudleenamjil, Enkhmart, Babish, John G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.2019
• ISSN: 1557-7600
• DOI: 10.1089/jmf.2018.0063

Among the comorbidities of high body mass index, cardiovascular disease continued to be the leading cause of death and disability globally in 2015, while type 2 diabetes remained second. The primary objectives of this observational study were to confirm the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of our calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet with targeted dietary supplementation (PROG1) using globally recognized dietary supplementation. Fifty healthy overweight and obese subjects with cardiometabolic risk factors were assigned a modified Mediterranean diet, including protein shakes and targeted supplementation (PROG2), providing ∼68-76% of subject estimated calorie requirements. Salivary nitrite was assessed weekly and key cardiometabolic metrics were recorded at baseline and weeks 9 and 13. PROG2 was well tolerated with 86% compliance. The most common adverse effects were bloating, flatulence, and constipation, which were self-limiting. Subjects exhibited decreases (  < .01) from baseline of 12% in body weight, 18% in body fat, and 8.8% in waist circumference. Total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglycerides (TG) were reduced (  < .01), respectively, 19%, 22%, and 40%. Lipid ratios of TC/high-density lipoprotein (HDL), TG/HDL, and oxidized LDL (oxLDL)/HDL were decreased 15% (  < .01), 35% (  < .01), and 13% (  < .05), respectively. Inflammation biomarkers, oxLDL and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, were reduced 17% (  < .01) and 30% (  < .05), respectively. Reductions of 9.0% for systolic (  < .01) and 12% (  < .01) for diastolic blood pressure were noted. In concert, the nitrogen dioxide salivary biomarker for nitric oxide was increased relative to baseline. PROG2 produced a dramatic 50% reduction in subjects meeting cardiometabolic syndrome criteria and a 38% decrease in Framingham 10-year cardiovascular risk. These results confirmed our previous findings that the addition of targeted nutraceutical supplementation to a calorie-restricted Mediterranean diet with lifestyle modifications improves multiple longevity risk factors more effectively than diet and lifestyle modification alone.