Short-term very low calory diet reduces oxidative stress in obese type 2 diabetic patients

Oxidative stress is higher in obese diabetic than in non-diabetic subjects. This pilot study evaluates oxidative stress during short-term administration of a very low calory diet in obese persons. Nine obese Type 2 diabetic patients (age 55 +/- 5 years, BMI 35.9 +/- 1.9 kg/m(2)) and nine obese non-diabetic control subjects (age 52 +/- 6 years, BMI 37.3 +/- 2.1 kg/m(2)) were treated by a very low calory diet (600 kcal daily) during 8 days stay in the hospital. Serum cholesterol, triglycerides, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), beta-hydroxybutyrate (B-HB), ascorbic acid (AA), alpha-tocopherol (AT), plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in erythrocytes were measured before and on day 3 and 8 of very low calory diet administration. A decrease of serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations on day 8 was associated with a significant increase of NEFA (0.30 +/- 0.13 vs. 0.47 +/- 0.11 mu mol/l, p<0.001) and B-HB (0.36 +/- 0.13 vs. 2.23 +/- 1.00 mmol/l, p<0.001) in controls but only of B-HB (1.11 +/- 0.72 vs. 3.02 +/- 1.95 mmol/l, p<0.001) in diabetic patients. A significant decrease of plasma MDA and serum AT together with an increase of SOD activity and AA concentration (p<0.01) was observed in control persons, whereas an increase of SOD activity (p<0.01) was only found in diabetic patients after one week of the very low calory diet. There was a significant correlation between NEFA or B-HB and SOD activity (p<0.01). We conclude that one week of a very low calory diet administration decreases oxidative stress in obese non-diabetic but only partly in diabetic persons. Diabetes mellitus causes a greater resistance to the effects of a low calory diet on oxidative stress.