Effects of modified-Paleo and moderate-carbohydrate diets on body composition, serum levels of hepatokines and adipocytokines, and flow cytometric analysis of endothelial microparticles in adults with metabolic syndrome: a study protocol for a randomized clinical trial

Background Metabolic syndrome is a combination of metabolic risk factors causing a pathological condition that increases the risk of non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. A variety of dietary approaches have been examined to halt this rapid trend; however, the effects of modified-Paleo diet and medium-carbohydrate diet on inflammation, adipokines, hepatokines, and the profile of endothelial microparticles in individuals with metabolic syndrome have not been investigated in detail. The present study is designed to examine the effect of modified-Paleo and moderate-carbohydrate diet with two delivery modes: “fixed diet plan” vs “calorie counting” on weight, body composition, serum levels of some hepatokines and adipocytokines, and flow cytometric analysis of endothelial microparticles in adults with metabolic syndrome. Methods Eighty metabolic syndrome patients will be recruited in this study. They will be randomly allocated to one of the following 4 groups: (1) receiving a modified-Paleo diet with calorie counting, (2) receiving a modified-Paleo diet with a fixed diet plan, (3) receiving a medium-carbohydrate diet with calorie counting, and (4) receiving a medium-carbohydrate diet with a fixed diet plan for 10 weeks. Weight, height, waist circumference, and body composition will be assessed at the study baseline and at the end of the trial. Serum insulin, asprosin, chemerin, FGF-21, CTRP-1, PYY, ghrelin, plasma EMPs (CD31+/CD42b− and CD144+/CD42b−), lipid profile, glycemic indices, hs-CRP, leptin, vitamin C, creatinine and satiety, hunger, fullness, and desire to eat (via visual analog scales) will be measured at the study baseline and at the end of the trial. Insulin resistance and insulin sensitivity will be determined using the HOMA-IR and QUICKI equations. Discussion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first randomized controlled trial that will determine the effect of modified-Paleo and moderate-carbohydrate diet on weight, body composition, serum levels of some hepatokines and adipocytokines, and the profile of EMPs in adults with metabolic syndrome. Moreover, the effects of different diet delivery modes, including “fixed diet plan” and “calorie counting” will also be analyzed. The results of this trial can provide clinical witnesses on the effectiveness of carbohydrate-restricted diets in ameliorating metabolic status and prevent the development of chronic diseases. Trial registration Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials IRCT2016121925267N4. Registered on 26 July 2017

Military Feeding during World War II

This chapter examines the foods pushed by military planners, which were long lasting, nutritionally balanced, and easy to transport. This was a period when control and power, which is now so central to relief work, became crucial to humanitarian action in the Second World War. Compared to the expansive visions of “social nutrition” that had proliferated in the interwar period, relief in the 1940s was characterized by technical foods, precise nutritional needs, and calorie counting. The use of surplus rations was a good illustration of the era, as it combined technologies of preservation, nutrition, and ordered portability. Other forms of relief, however, took on a militaristic hue as well. This chapter examines how training programs for relief workers taught new military methods for feeding large numbers of people, how nutrients replaced foods in humanitarian efforts, and how this change in thinking generated a range of new and unusual technical foods.

Calorie counting smart phone apps: Effectiveness in nutritional awareness, lifestyle modification and weight management among young Indian adults

Calorie counting mobile apps claim to assist in weight management by helping users monitor their diets and track activity. This study assessed quality and effectiveness of popular calorie counting apps in weight management and behaviour change. Top 20 apps were selected from Google Play store and their quality was assessed using a 55-point scoring scale on attributes like standards used, content accuracy, user interface and sources of database. The mean (±SD (standard deviation)) quality score was 36.95 (±5.65). The calorie and activity recommendations were compared with standards and over 65 per cent apps over/underestimated calorie intake. To assess effectiveness, 60 young volunteers were recruited and divided into two groups. The intervention group (n = 30) was asked to use one of the top 3 apps for 8 weeks. Pre- and post-comparisons were made with the control group (n = 28). No significant difference was noted in anthropometry or food consumption. There was increasing trend (13.33%) in physical activity in the intervention group.

Perspective: Public Health Nutrition Policies Should Focus on Healthy Eating, Not on Calorie Counting, Even to Decrease Obesity

ABSTRACT Calorie-focused policies, such as calorie menu labeling, seem to result in minor shifts toward healthier choices and public health improvement. This paper discusses the (lack of) relations between energy intake and healthy eating and the rationale for shifting the focus of public health nutrition policies to healthier foods and meals. We argue that the benefits of reducing caloric intake from low-quality foods might not result from the calorie reduction but rather from the reduced consumption of low-quality foods. It is better to consume a given number of calories from high-quality foods than a smaller number of calories from low-quality foods. It is not possible to choose a healthy diet solely based on the caloric value of foods because calories are not equal; they differ in nutritional quality according to their source. Foods are more than just a collection of calories and nutrients, and nutrients interact differently when presented as foods. Different subtypes of a macronutrient, although they have the same caloric value, are metabolized and influence health in different ways. For instance, industrial trans fats increase lipogenesis and the risk of heart diseases, whereas monounsaturated fats have the opposite effect. Food processing and cooking methods also influence the nutritional value of foods. Thus, public health nutrition policies should stop encouraging people to focus mainly on calorie counting to fight noncommunicable diseases. Instead, policies should focus on ingredients, dietary sources, and food processing and cooking methods.

The Progressive Era Body Project: Calorie-Counting and “Disciplining the Stomach” in 1920s America

Although the scientific origins of the calorie date back to the 1820s, calorie counting for weight loss only became popular in the late 1910s and 1920s. Placing this development in the broader context of the Progressive Era, this article considers how calorie counting and the reconstitution of food as calories reflected the period's fixation with science, rationalization, and quantification. This article also situates calorie counting within shifting bodily ideals among white women in the 1920s, and the ways in which class and race informed the promotion of the slender body as the feminine ideal. The second half of this article focuses on exchanges between Lulu Hunt Peters, a syndicated newspaper columnist and the author of a best-selling calorie-counting guide, and advice-seeking readers of her column. While Peters presented calorie counting as empowering for dieters and a way for them to seize control over their weight, her calorie-restriction program facilitated a new form of bodily discipline and self-regulation during a period that saw enhanced forms of surveillance in other areas of life.