Impact of a 12-Week Dietary Intervention on Adipose Tissue Metabolic Markers in Overweight Women of Reproductive Age

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in women of reproductive age leads to significant health risks, including adverse metabolic and reproductive outcomes. Effective dietary interventions are critical to improving health outcomes in this population. This study investigates the impact of a 12-week diet intervention on metabolic markers of adipose tissue in overweight women of reproductive age, determining whether calorie restriction or low-starch diets are more effective, while also accounting for salivary amylase activity. A total of 67 overweight women of reproductive age were enrolled in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Participants were divided into high-salivary-amylase (HSA) and low-salivary-amylase (LSA) groups based on baseline salivary amylase activity measured using a spectrophotometric method. Each group was further subdivided into two dietary intervention groups: calorie restriction (CR) and low starch (LS), resulting in four subgroups (HSA-CR, HSA-LS, LSA-CR, LSA-LS), along with a control group (CTR) of normal-weight individuals (no intervention). Participants were assigned to a calorie-restricted diet or a low-starch diet for 12 weeks. Key metabolic markers of adipose tissue, including insulin sensitivity, adipokines, cytokines, and lipid profiles, were measured at baseline (T0), 30 min after consuming starch-containing muesli (T1), and 12 weeks after intervention (T2). Active GLP-1, glucagon, and C-peptide levels were assessed to clarify the hormonal mechanisms underlying the dietary effects. Salivary amylase activity was also measured to examine its role in modulating glucose and GLP-1 responses. Both diet interventions led to significant improvements in metabolic markers of adipose tissue, though different ones. Calorie restriction improved insulin sensitivity by effectively reducing visceral fat mass and enhancing insulin signaling pathways. In contrast, the low-starch diet was linked to a reduction in the coefficient of glucose variation influenced partly by changes in GLP-1 levels. Our findings highlight the importance of personalized diet strategies to optimize metabolic health in this demographic.