Adiponectin gene variant rs266729 interacts with different macronutrient distributions of two different hypocaloric diets during nine months

Background: the role of ADIPOQ gene variants on metabolic changes after weight loss secondary to different hypocaloric diets remains unclear and poorly investigated. Objective: we evaluated the effect of polymorphism rs266729 of ADIPOQ gene on biochemical changes and weight loss after a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet vs a standard severe hypocaloric diet during 9 months. Material and methods: a population of 269 obese patients was enrolled in a randomized intervention trial for 9 months with two diets. Diet HP (high protein) was 33 % of carbohydrates (86.1 g/day), 33 % of fat (39.0 g/day), and 34 % of proteins (88.6 g/day). Diet S (standard) was 1093 cal/day, 53 % carbohydrates (144.3 g/day), 27 % fats (32.6 g), and 20 % proteins (55.6 g/day). Before and after the intervention an anthropometric evaluation, an assessment of nutritional intake, and a biochemical analysis were carried out. Results: all patients lost weight regardless of genotype and diet. After the intervention with a high protein hypocaloric diet (diet HP) only subjects with CC genotype showed significant improvement in cholesterol (14.4 ± 1.8 md/dL vs -5.0 ± 1.9 mg/dL; p = 0.02), LDL-cholesterol (14.4 ± 1.9 mg/dL vs -5.1 ± 1.8 mg/dL; p = 0.01), insulin (-4.1 ± 0.3 mU/L vs -2.0 ± 0.6 mU/L; p = 0.02), HOMA-IR (-1.4 ± 0.2 units vs -0.5 ± 0.3 units; p = 0.02) and adiponectin (10.2 ± 1.4 ng/dL vs 3.1 ± 1.1 ng/dL; p = 0.01) levels. After the second dietary strategy with a standard hypocaloric diet (diet S) only subjects with CC genotype showed significant improvement in total cholesterol (CC vs CG + GG) (-17.1 ± 1.9 md/dL vs -5.3 ± 1.3 mg/dL; p = 0.02), LDL-cholesterol (-12.3 ± 1.9 mg/dL vs -8.0 ± 1.2 mg/dL; p = 0.01), insulin (-4.0 ± 0.9 mU/L vs -1.3 ± 0.5 mU/L; p = 0.02), HOMA-IR (-1.2 ± 0.1 units vs -0.6 ± 0.2 units; p = 0.02), and adiponectin (11.1 ± 2.7 ng/dL vs 3.3 ± 1.2 ng/dL; p = 0.02) levels. Conclusion: non G-allele carriers showed a better response of LDL-cholesterol, HOMA-IR, insulin, and adiponectin levels than G-allele carriers before weight loss with both diets.