Substituting Lean Beef for Carbohydrate in a Healthy Dietary Pattern Does Not Adversely Affect the Cardiometabolic Risk Factor Profile in Men and Women at Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

ABSTRACT Background Observational evidence suggests that red meat intake is associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and cardiovascular disease incidence, but few randomized controlled trials have assessed effects of lean, unprocessed red meat intake on insulin sensitivity and other cardiometabolic risk factors. Objective This study compared the USDA Healthy US-Style Eating Pattern, low in saturated fat and red meat (<40 g/d red meat; USDA-CON), with a modified version with an additional 150 g/d lean beef as an isocaloric replacement for carbohydrate (USDA-LB) on insulin sensitivity and cardiometabolic risk markers. Methods Participants (7 men, 26 women; 44.4 y old) with overweight/obesity [BMI (kg/m2) = 31.3] and prediabetes and/or metabolic syndrome completed this randomized, crossover, controlled-feeding trial consisting of two 28-d treatments (USDA-CON and USDA-LB) separated by a ≥14-day washout. Insulin sensitivity (primary outcome variable), lipoprotein lipids, apolipoproteins (apoA-I and apoB), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (secondary outcome variables), in plasma or serum, and blood pressures were assessed at baseline and the end of each diet period. Results USDA-LB and USDA-CON did not differ significantly in effects on whole-body insulin sensitivity and other indicators of carbohydrate metabolism, lipoprotein lipids, apoA-I and apoB, hs-CRP, and blood pressures. USDA-LB produced a shift toward less cholesterol carried by smaller LDL subfractions compared with USDA-CON [least-squares geometric mean ratios for LDL1+2 cholesterol of 1.20 (P = 0.016) and LDL3+4 cholesterol of 0.89 (P = 0.044)] and increased peak LDL time versus USDA-CON (1.01; P = 0.008). Conclusions Substituting lean, unprocessed beef for carbohydrate in a Healthy US-Style Eating Pattern resulted in a shift toward larger, more buoyant LDL subfractions, but otherwise had no significant effects on the cardiometabolic risk factor profile in men and women with prediabetes and/or metabolic syndrome. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT03202680.

The metabolomic signatures of alcohol consumption in young adults

Background Metabolomic analysis may help us to understand the association between alcohol consumption and cardio-metabolic health. We aimed to: (i) replicate a previous study of alcohol consumption and metabolic profiles, (ii) examine associations between types of alcoholic beverages and metabolites and (iii) include potential confounders not examined in previous studies. Methods Cross-sectional data of 1785 participants (age 26–36 years, 52% women) from the 2004–2006 Childhood Determinants of Adult Health study were used. Consumption of beer, wine and spirits was assessed by questionnaires. Metabolites were measured by a high-throughput nuclear magnetic resonance platform and multivariable linear regression examined their association with alcohol consumption (combined total and types) adjusted for covariates including socio-demographics, health behaviours and mental health. Results Alcohol consumption was associated with 23 out of 37 lipids, 12 out of 16 fatty acids and six out of 20 low-molecular-weight metabolites independent of confounders with similar associations for combined total alcohol consumption and different types of alcohol. Many metabolites (lipoprotein lipids in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subclasses, HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein A-1, phosphotriglycerides, total fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 fatty acids) had positive linear associations with alcohol consumption but some showed negative linear (low-density lipoprotein particle size, omega-6 fatty acids ratio to total fatty acids, citrate) or U-shaped (lipoprotein lipids in very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) subclasses, VLDL triglycerides) associations. Conclusions Our results were similar to those of the only previous study. Associations with metabolites were similar for total and types of alcohol. Alcohol consumption in young adults is related to a diverse range of metabolomic signatures associated with benefits and harms to health.