Low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets have sex-specific effects on bone health in rats

Publikation: Bidrag til tidsskriftTidsskriftartikelfagfællebedømt

  • Ayse Zengin
  • Benedikt Kropp
  • Yan Chevalier
  • Riia Junnila
  • Elahu Sustarsic
  • Nadja Herbach
  • Flaminia Fanelli
  • Marco Mezzullo
  • Stefan Milz
  • Martin Bidlingmaier
  • Maximilian Bielohuby

PURPOSE: Studies in humans suggest that consumption of low-carbohydrate, high-fat diets (LC-HF) could be detrimental for growth and bone health. In young male rats, LC-HF diets negatively affect bone health by impairing the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor axis (GH/IGF axis), while the effects in female rats remain unknown. Therefore, we investigated whether sex-specific effects of LC-HF diets on bone health exist.

METHODS: Twelve-week-old male and female Wistar rats were isoenergetically pair-fed either a control diet (CD), "Atkins-style" protein-matched diet (LC-HF-1), or ketogenic low-protein diet (LC-HF-2) for 4 weeks. In females, microcomputed tomography and histomorphometry analyses were performed on the distal femur. Sex hormones were analysed with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and endocrine parameters including GH and IGF-I were measured by immunoassay.

RESULTS: Trabecular bone volume, serum IGF-I and the bone formation marker P1NP were lower in male rats fed both LC-HF diets versus CD. LC-HF diets did not impair bone health in female rats, with no change in trabecular or cortical bone volume nor in serum markers of bone turnover between CD versus both LC-HF diet groups. Pituitary GH secretion was lower in female rats fed LC-HF diet, with no difference in circulating IGF-I. Circulating sex hormone concentrations remained unchanged in male and female rats fed LC-HF diets.

CONCLUSION: A 4-week consumption of LC-HF diets has sex-specific effects on bone health-with no effects in adult female rats yet negative effects in adult male rats. This response seems to be driven by a sex-specific effect of LC-HF diets on the GH/IGF system.

OriginalsprogEngelsk
TidsskriftEuropean Journal of Nutrition
Vol/bind55
Udgave nummer7
Sider (fra-til)2307-20
Antal sider14
ISSN1436-6207
DOI
StatusUdgivet - okt. 2016
Eksternt udgivetJa

ID: 179525977