Favourable effects of consuming a Palaeolithic-type diet on characteristics of the metabolic syndrome: a randomized controlled pilot-study

Abstract

BackgroundThe main goal of this randomized controlled single-blinded pilot study was to study whether, independent of weight loss, a Palaeolithic-type diet alters characteristics of the metabolic syndrome. Next we searched for outcome variables that might become favourably influenced by a Paleolithic-type diet and may provide new insights in the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying the metabolic syndrome. In addition, more information on feasibility and designing an innovative dietary research program on the basis of a Palaeolithic-type diet was obtained.MethodsThirty-four subjects, with at least two characteristics of the metabolic syndrome, were randomized to a two weeks Palaeolithic-type diet (n = 18) or an isoenergetic healthy reference diet, based on the guidelines of the Dutch Health Council (n = 14). Thirty-two subjects completed the study. Measures were taken to keep bodyweight stable. As primary outcomes oral glucose tolerance and characteristics of the metabolic syndrome (abdominal circumference, blood pressure, glucose, lipids) were measured. Secondary outcomes were intestinal permeability, inflammation and salivary cortisol. Data were collected at baseline and after the intervention.ResultsSubjects were 53.5 (SD9.7) year old men (n = 9) and women (n = 25) with mean BMI of 31.8 (SD5.7) kg/m2. The Palaeolithic-type diet resulted in lower systolic blood pressure (−9.1 mmHg; P = 0.015), diastolic blood pressure (−5.2 mmHg; P = 0.038), total cholesterol (−0.52 mmol/l; P = 0.037), triglycerides (−0.89 mmol/l; P = 0.001) and higher HDL-cholesterol (+0.15 mmol/l; P = 0.013), compared to reference. The number of characteristics of the metabolic syndrome decreased with 1.07 (P = 0.010) upon the Palaeolithic-type diet, compared to reference. Despite efforts to keep bodyweight stable, it decreased in the Palaeolithic group compared to reference (−1.32 kg; P = 0.012). However, favourable effects remained after post-hoc adjustments for this unintended weight loss. No changes were observed for intestinal permeability, inflammation and salivary cortisol.ConclusionsWe conclude that consuming a Palaeolithic-type diet for two weeks improved several cardiovascular risk factors compared to a healthy reference diet in subjects with the metabolic syndrome.Trial registrationNederlands Trial Register NTR3002

Bromocriptine-QR therapy for the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus: developmental basis and therapeutic profile summary

“…The annual cycle of metabolism among vertebrates in the wild evolved in synchrony with the annual cycle of food quality supply. Hints of an annual cycle of fuel metabolism exist even in prehistoric man exposed to the Paleolithic diet (reviewed in [50]), which is known to support insulin sensitivity [63][64][65]. The high protein, omega-3 fatty acid, and flavonoid content of the Paleolithic diet was only available seasonally as a result of seasonal changes in the availability of flora and fauna [51].…”

Feasibility of a Web-Based Cross-Over Paleolithic Diet Intervention in the General Population

“…Especially in The Netherlands, where over 90% of households has an internet connection, the use of web-based recruitment methods does not seem a limitation for achieving a representative sample. On the other hand, samples in other studies on diet and/or psychological symptoms also contained more females and more higher educated individuals compared to the general population (see for example, Boers et al, 2014 andVan Der Krieke et al, 2016). Thus, it seems more likely that the higher number of females and higher educated participants should be attributed to the topic of the study than to the recruitment method.…”

Complete Cessation of Recurrent Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia (CIN) by the Paleolithic Ketogenic Diet: A Case Report

“…By definition, the paleolithic diet excludes foods that were not available in prehistoric times [11,14]. However, the paleolithic diet as published in clinical studies [15,16,17,18] differ from the diet we refer to as paleolithic ketogenic in important aspects including macronutrient ratios and the ratio of animal vs. plant based food components. Moreover, given the availability of internet-based, mainly non-scientific resources, several variants of the paleolithic diet abound which we collectively denote as popular paleolithic diet.…”

“…She did not consume offal on a regular basis. This version of the paleolithic diet conforms neither to the paleolithic diet as originally described by Cordain [11] or Lindeberg [14] nor any of those versions in previously published clinical studies of the paleolithic diet [15,16,17,18]. We therefore refer to this diet as a 'popular paleolithic diet' because it appears to arise from a mixture of scientific and unscientific information, much of which is probably gleaned from dubious sources on the internet.…”