Caloric Restriction Linked to Reduced Inflammation Markers

Implementation of a caloric restriction weight-loss diet, with or without exercise, is associated with measurable reductions in markers of inflammation for obese or overweight postmenopausal women, according to a study.

Ikuyo Imayama, M.D., Ph.D., of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and colleagues examined the effects of a caloric restriction weight-loss diet and exercise on inflammatory biomarkers in 438 overweight and obese postmenopausal women. Participants were randomly allocated to one year of a caloric restriction diet (goal of 10 percent weight loss; 118 women); aerobic exercise (225 minutes per week of moderate-to-vigorous activity; 117 women); combined diet + exercise (116 women); or control (87 women). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), serum amyloid A (SAA), interleukin-6 (IL-6), leukocyte, and neutrophil levels were measured at baseline and one year by blinded investigators.

The researchers found that, compared to the control group, hs-CRP, IL-6, and neutrophil counts decreased significantly in the diet and diet + exercise groups. Inflammatory biomarkers hs-CRP, SAA, and IL-6 were reduced for participants in the diet and diet + exercise groups that lost 5 percent or more of their weight, compared with controls.

"Our findings indicate that a caloric restriction weight loss diet with or without exercise reduces biomarkers of inflammation in postmenopausal women, with potential clinical significance for cancer risk reduction," the authors write.

Cancer Research, May 1