The National China Health and Nutrition Survey revealed that 42% of overweight children had at least one cardiovascular metabolic risk, such as hyperglycaemia, dyslipidemia or hypertension. Non-pharmaceutical life style modifications are the recommended intervention to these subjects, including caloric restriction and increased physical activity. However, the problems of poor compliance and metabolic adaptation are well known. Evidences from a number studies in rodent models and human indicated that intermittent caloric restriction (ICR) may stimulate series reactions in human body, including improvement of insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, oxidative stress and inflammation, and may be easier to follow. Evidence from larger human studies is strongly encouraged, while the effects, safety and adherence in chidren and youth need to be studied.~This study is a randomized controlled trial of intermittent caloric restriction versus low carbohydrate diet in youth with cardiometabolic risk over one month period. The intervention is based on the 5:2 diet, which involves caloric restriction for 2 days (consecutive or nonconsecutive, 600kcal/d for male and 500kcal/d for female) per week and unrestricted eating during the other 5 days of the week. For control group, the subjects receive 7 days (consecutive or nonconsecutive) of low carbohydrate diet intervention during the 14-day intervention period,. Carbohydrate intake of low-carbohydrate diet should be controlled as ≤ 50g per day. Total trial duration is one month consisting of a 14-day intervention phase and a 14-day self-maintenance phase. During the maintenance phase, two follow-up electronic questionnaires were conducted.~The study aim to explore effects of the dietary interventions on cardiometabolic markers, inflammatory reaction, oxidative stress and gut microbiome in youth with cardiometabolic risk.
This is a randomized controlled pilot study to evaluate the effects of intermittent caloric restriction compared with low carbohydrate diet in youth with cardiometabolic risk.