Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2008 May;14(4):327-35.
doi: 10.1016/j.cardfail.2007.11.003.

Low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet attenuates pressure overload-induced ventricular remodeling and dysfunction

Monika K Duda  1 , Karen M O'Shea, Biao Lei, Brian R Barrows, Agnes M Azimzadeh, Tracy E McElfresh, Brian D Hoit, Willem J Kop, William C Stanley
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet attenuates pressure overload-induced ventricular remodeling and dysfunction

Monika K Duda et al. J Card Fail. 2008 May.

Abstract

Background: It is not known how carbohydrate and fat intake affect the development of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and contractile dysfunction in response to pressure overload. We hypothesized that a low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet prevents LV hypertrophy and dysfunction compared with high-carbohydrate diets.

Methods and results: Rats were fed high-carbohydrate diets composed of either starch or sucrose, or a low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet, and underwent abdominal aortic banding (AAB) for 2 months. AAB increased LV mass with all diets. LV end-diastolic and systolic volumes and the ratio of the mRNA for myosin heavy chain beta/alpha were increased with both high-carbohydrate diets but not with the low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet. Circulating levels of insulin and leptin, both stimulants for cardiac growth, were lower, and free fatty acids were higher with the low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet compared with high-carbohydrate diets. Among animals that underwent AAB, LV volumes were positively correlated with insulin and LV mass correlated with leptin.

Conclusion: A low-carbohydrate/high-fat diet attenuated pressure overload-induced LV remodeling compared with high-carbohydrate diets. This effect corresponded to lower insulin and leptin concentrations, suggesting they may contribute to the development of LV hypertrophy and dysfunction under conditions of pressure overload.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
LV mass/Tibia length ratio (a), and the ratio of mRNA expression for myosin heavy chain MHCα to MHCβ (b) in the left ventricle determined by qRT-PCR (Data represent as the fold change in gene expression relative to the High Starch Sham group). Echocardiographic assessments of LV end diastolic volume (c), and end systolic volume (d). *p<0.05 vs. respective Sham; #p<0.05 vs. High Fat diet; &p<0.05 vs. High Starch diet (n=9–11/group).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Circulating leptin (a), insulin (b) and plasma free fatty acids (c) concentration. *p<0.05 vs. respective Sham; #p<0.05 vs. High Fat diet; &p<0.05 vs. High Starch diet (n=9–11/group).
Figure 3
Figure 3
LV mass/Tibia length ratio plotted as a function of leptin (a) and insulin (b) concentration. LV end diastolic volume plotted as a function of insulin (c) and free fatty acid (f). LV end systolic volume plotted as a function of insulin (d) and free fatty acid (a). Ejection fraction plotted as a function of insulin (e) and free fatty acid (h) in AAB group.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Levy D, Larson MG, Vasan RS, Kannel WB, Ho KK. The progression from hypertension to congestive heart failure. JAMA. 1996 May 22;275(20):1557–62. - PubMed
    1. Lloyd-Jones DM, Larson MG, Leip EP, et al. Lifetime risk for developing congestive heart failure: the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. 2002 December 10;106(24):3068–72. - PubMed
    1. Sharma N, Okere IC, Duda MK, Chess DJ, O’shea KM, Stanley WC. Potential impact of carbohydrate and fat intake on pathological left ventricular hypertrophy. Cardiovasc Res. 2007 January 15;73(2):257–68. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lichtenstein AH, Appel LJ, Brands M, et al. Diet and lifestyle recommendations revision 2006: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association Nutrition Committee. Circulation. 2006 July 4;114(1):82–96. - PubMed
    1. Halton TL, Willett WC, Liu S, et al. Low-carbohydrate-diet score and the risk of coronary heart disease in women. N Engl J Med. 2006 November 9;355(19):1991–2002. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms