Abstract

Little is known about common factors (e.g., macronutrients and energy supply) regulating the protein secretory function of adipose tissue. We therefore compared the effects of randomly assigned 10-week hypoenergetic (−600 kcal/day) diets with moderate-fat/moderate-carbohydrate or low-fat/high-carbohydrate content on circulating levels and production of proteins (using radioimmunoassays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays) from subcutaneous adipose tissue in 40 obese but otherwise healthy women. Similar results were obtained by the two diets. Body weight decreased by ∼7.5%. The secretion rate of leptin decreased by ∼40%, as did that of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin (IL)-6 and -8 decreased by 25–30%, whereas the secretion of plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) and adiponectin did not show any changes. Regarding mRNA expression (by real-time PCR), only that of leptin and IL-6 decreased significantly. Circulating levels of leptin and PAI-1 decreased by 30 and 40%, respectively, but there were only minor changes in circulating TNF-α, IL-6, or adiponectin. In conclusion, moderate caloric restriction but not macronutrient composition influences the production and secretion of adipose tissue–derived proteins during weight reduction, leptin being the most sensitive and adiponectin and PAI-1 the least sensitive.