Studies on The Paleo Diet . A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean- like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart disease. Diabetologia, 2. 00. Details: 2. 9 men with heart disease and elevated blood sugars or type 2 diabetes, were randomized to either a paleolithic diet (n=1. Mediterranean- like diet (n=1. ![]() Neither group was calorie restricted. The main outcomes measured were glucose tolerance, insulin levels, weight and waist circumference. This study went on for 1. Glucose Tolerance: The glucose tolerance test measures how quickly glucose is cleared from the blood. ![]() It is a marker for insulin resistance and diabetes. This graph shows the difference between groups. The solid dots are the baseline, the open dots are after 1. Paleo group is on the left, control group on the right. As you can clearly see from the graphs, only the paleo diet group saw a significant improvement in glucose tolerance. Weight Loss: Both groups lost a significant amount of weight, 5 kg (1. However, the difference was not statistically significant between groups. The paleo diet group had a 5. The difference was statistically significant. A few important points: The 2- hour Area Under the Curve (AUC) for blood glucose went down by 3. Every patient in the paleo group ended up having normal blood sugars, compared to 7 of 1. The paleo group ended up eating 4. Conclusion: A paleolithic diet lead to greater improvements in waist circumference and glycemic control, compared to a Mediterranean- like diet. Effects of a short- term intervention with a paleolithic diet in healthy volunteers. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2. Details: 1. 4 healthy medical students (5 male, 9 female) were instructed to eat a paleolithic diet for 3 weeks. There was no control group. Weight Loss: Weight decreased by 2. Other Markers: Systolic blood pressure went down by 3 mm. Hg. Conclusion: The individuals lost weight and had a mild reduction in waist circumference and systolic blood pressure. Beneficial effects of a Paleolithic diet on cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes: a randomized cross- over pilot study. Cardiovascular Diabetology, 2. Details: 1. 3 individuals with type 2 diabetes were placed on either a paleolithic diet or a typical Diabetes diet in a cross- over study. They were on each diet for 3 months at a time. Weight Loss: On the paleo diet, the participants lost 3 kg (6. Diabetes diet. Other Markers: Hb.
Staffan Lindeberg was a pioneer of the Paleo diet as well as a wonderful colleague and friend. The following tribute was written by his Ph.D.![]() A1c (a marker for 3- month blood sugar levels) decreased by 0,4% more on the paleo diet. HDL increased by 3 mg/d. L (0. 0. 8 mmol/L) on the paleo diet compared to the Diabetes diet. Triglycerides went down by 3. L (0. 4 mmol/L) on the paleo diet compared to the Diabetes diet. Conclusion: The paleo diet caused more weight loss and several improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, compared to a Diabetes diet. Metabolic and physiologic improvements from consuming a paleolithic, hunter- gatherer type diet. The Paleo Diet Lose Weight and Get Healthy by Eating the Foods You Were Designed to Eat. A Palaeolithic diet improves glucose tolerance more than a Mediterranean-like diet in individuals with ischaemic heart. Everything You Need to Know About the Paleo Diet. Healthy Paleo Snacks +1. More on the Paleo Diet & Paleo Snacks. Star ratings reflect scores of 1 to 5 assigned to the Paleo diet in seven categories by nutritionists, specialists in diabetes and heart disease, and other diet experts on a ratings panel assembled by U.S. ![]() European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2. Details: 9 healthy individuals consumed a paleolithic diet for 1. Calories were controlled to ensure that they wouldn’t lose weight. There was no control group. Health Effects: Total Cholesterol went down by 1. Learn how to make heart-healthy choices while on the Paleo Diet and find out which foods are beneficial to your heart and which could be harmful. Is a Paleo Diet Healthy? However, a 2007 study in Diabetologia comparing it to paleo found that in patients with ischemic heart disease, the paleo diet led to better glucose tolerance and a larger drop in. ![]() ![]() LDL Cholesterol went down by 2. Triglycerides went down by 3. Insulin AUC went down by 3. Diastolic Blood Pressure went down by 3. Hg. 5. A Palaeolithic- type diet causes strong tissue- specific effects on ectopic fat deposition in obese postmenopausal women. Journal of Internal Medicine, 2. Details: 1. 0 healthy women with a BMI over 2. There was no control group. Main outcomes measured were liver fat, muscle cell fat and insulin sensitivity. Weight Loss: The women lost an average of 4. Liver and Muscle Fat: The fat content of liver and muscle cells are a risk factor for metabolic disease. In this study, the women had an average reduction in liver fat of 4. This graph shows how the fat content in liver cells decreased: As you can see, the women who had a lot of liver fat (fatty liver) had the most significant decrease. Other Health Effects: Blood pressure went down from an average of 1. Hg to 1. 15/7. 5 mm. Hg, although it was only statistically significant for diastolic blood pressure (the lower number). Fasting blood sugars decreased by 6. L (0. 3. 5 mmol/L) and fasting insulin levels decreased by 1. Total cholesterol decreased by 3. L (0. 8. 5 mmol/L). Triglycerides went down by 3. L (0. 3. 9 mmol/L). LDL cholesterol went down by 2. L (0. 6. 5 mmol/L). HDL cholesterol decreased by 7 mg/d. L (0. 1. 8 mmol/L). Apo. B decreased by 1. L (1. 4. 3%). Conclusion: During the 5 week trial, the women lost weight and had major reductions in liver fat. They also had improvements in several important health markers. Studies That Were Not Included. I skipped the following two studies because they weren’t applicable: Jonsson T, et al. This is a randomized controlled trial, but it is done in pigs, not humans. O’Dea K. 1. 98. 4 – In this study, 1. Very interesting study, but there are too many confounders to conclude anything about the diet itself. So, only human studies that isolate diet as the sole variable are included in the analysis. Weight Loss and Waist Circumference. This graph shows the amount of weight loss in the studies.* In Lindeberg, et al (1), the weight loss difference was not statistically significant. I did not include Frassetto, et al (4) because they controlled for calories to make sure that the participants didn’t lose weight. There are several things worth mentioning here: None of the participants were instructed to restrict calories, but they spontaneously reduced calorie intake by 3. The participants ended up eating much fewer carbs and more protein, compared to what they were eating before. The graph below shows the effect on waist circumference (a marker for the harmful visceral fat around the organs). The studies had statistically significant reductions in waist circumference, which should translate to a reduced risk of diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It is worth mentioning again that Ryberg, et al (5) had an average reduction in liver fat of 4. Cholesterol and Triglycerides. Four of the studies (2- 5) reported changes in Total Cholesterol, LDL Cholesterol, HDL Cholesterol and Blood Triglycerides: There were reductions in Total Cholesterol in two studies (4, 5), but the difference was not statistically significant in the other two (2, 3). There was a statistically significant reduction in LDL Cholesterol in two studies (4, 5). Two of the studies had a statistically significant difference in HDL Cholesterol. One study showed a decrease (5), the other an increase (3). All of the studies had reductions in blood triglyceride levels, but the difference was not statistically significant in one study (2). Blood Sugar and Insulin Levels. All of the studies looked at markers of blood sugar levels and insulin sensitivity. However, they used many different methods, so there is no way to compare the results in a graph. It is clear from looking at the studies that the paleo diet does lead to improvements in insulin sensitivity and glycemic control (1, 3, 5), although the results were not always statistically significant (2, 4). Blood Pressure. Four of the studies (2- 5) looked at blood pressure levels before and after the intervention. As you can see, there were mild reductions in blood pressure across the board. However, only one study (2) reached statistical significance for Systolic Blood Pressure (higher number) while the three others reached statistical significance for Diastolic Blood Pressure (lower number) only. Safety. Overall, the paleo diet was very well tolerated and there were no reports of adverse effects. Limitations of The Studies. There are several obvious limitations to the studies: All 5 studies are small, ranging from 9- 2. The studies did not last very long, ranging from 1. Only 2 out of 5 studies had a control group. Additionally, the paleo diet used in the studies is not typical for the way paleo is often practiced today. It was a “conventional” paleo diet that restricted all dairy, sodium, emphasized lean meats and used canola oil. Lean meats and canola oil aren’t very popular in the paleo community today, but the original book, “The Paleo Diet” by Dr. Loren Cordain, recommended these. All the studies are done on his version of the diet. Does The Paleo Diet Work? Obviously we can’t make any firm conclusions based on these 5 studies alone, since they are too small and too short in duration. However, the little evidence we do have is very promising. Hopefully we will see some bigger and longer studies in the near future.
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