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Background:Obesity is associated with low-grade systemic inflammation which has been linked to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes in obese patients. Aim:To evaluate changes in pro/anti-inflammatory adipocytokines and metabolic profile after moderate diet-induced weight loss. Subjects and methods:Twenty-nine pre-menopausal obese women (body mass index ≥30 kg/m2) aged 21 to 54 years without diabetes, hypertension, or hyperlipidemia, were enrolled in this study. We measured anthropometric parameters, lipid and glucose profiles, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, and IL-18 in obese women, who then entered a medically supervised program aimed at reducing body weight by 10% or more. Obese women restricted their caloric intake (by 500–1000 kcal/day) and consumed 50 g/day of a fiber supplement (Slim Last Powder) for 12 weeks. Results:By completing the dietary intervention program, weight (Δ=−10.0%, p<0.0001), body mass index, waist circumference, triceps skinfold thickness, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and fasting plasma glucose significantly decreased, while HDL-cholesterol significantly increased. While plasma levels of IL-6 and IL-18 decreased by 27% after 12 weeks, no significant change was observed in circulating levels of IL-10. Conclusion:Our study suggests that an improved body composition induced by restriction of energy intake is associated with favorable serum concentrations of IL-6 and IL-18 in obese women. However, the anti-inflammatory IL-10 is not affected by a moderate weight decrease.

Background:Plasma ceruloplasmin (Cp) has been shown to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and also to be associated with obesity. However, it is not known whether weight loss could decrease the plasma Cp levels. Aim:To investigate the effect of diet-induced weight loss on plasma Cp in obese women. Subjects and methods:Sixty-seven healthy obese women [age =33.4±8.7 yr, body mass index (BMI) =36.0±4.8 kg/m2] were entered into a medically supervised program aimed at reducing body weight by 10% or more. Weight loss was achieved through a diet providing a daily energy deficit of 500–1000 kcal/day. In addition, all patients were prescribed to use 50 g of a fiber supplement per day. For all subjects, assessment of dietary intake, anthropometric indices, and plasma levels of C-reactive protein and Cp was performed at the first visit and repeated at 12thweek of follow-up. Results:By completing the program, weight (Δ=-9.5%, p<0.0001), BMI (Δ=−9.7%, p<0.0001), waist-circumference (Δ=−6.1 %, p<0.0001), and triceps skin-fold thickness (Δ=−14.9%, p<0.0001) significantly decreased. Plasma Cp significantly decreased after 12 weeks of dietary intervention (33.6±5.6 mg/dl vs 25.2±5.8 mg/dl, p<0.0001). Percent change in Cp was correlated with percent change in waist-circumference (r=446, p=0.015). Conclusion:Our study suggests that an improved body composition induced by restriction of energy intake is associated with decreased serum concentrations of Cp in obese women which in turn might have reduced the subjects’ risk of developing cardiovascular disease.