Effects of Medical Nutrition Therapy on Changes of Anthropometric Measurements, Dietary Pattern and Blood Parameters in Over Weight or Obese Women

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) on anthropometric measurements, quality of diets, and blood parameters through the weight loss program in over weight and obese women. The subjects (n = 76, age 31.1 +/- 8.4 y, weight 70.3 +/- 7.9 kg, BMI 27.2 +/- 2.4 kg/m2) without medical disease were treated with MNT 5 times for 12 weeks by dietitian. Anthropometric measurements included height, weight, fat mass, lean body mass, triceps and thigh skin-fold thickness, mid-arm, waist, hip and thigh circumference. Dietary assessments were accomplished using 3-days food records, diet quality index (DQI), and dietary pattern. The dietary pattern was assessed by daily energy intakes from breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks of calorie density, and numbers of eating. Blood levels of leptin, lipid profiles (total lipids, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol), and insulin were analyzed. Anthropometric measurements decreased significantly after MNT (p < 0.001). Waist circumference was reduced most rapidly and tricep skin-fold thickness was reduced most effectively after 12 weeks of MNT. Daily energy intake, calorie density and numbers of eating incidence decreased significantly (1796.4 +/- 395.5 vs 1402.9 +/- 217.8 kcal/day, 162.3 +/- 56.5 vs 113.4 +/- 30.1, 5.0 +/- 1.4 vs 3.8 +/- 0.4, respectively, p < 0.05). The daily energy intake from breakfast and snacks significantly decreased (p < 0.001). Calories from snack, calorie density of snack and numbers of snacking also decreased (p < 0.05). The mean scores of DQI significantly increased (7.6 +/- 2.1 vs 6.5 +/- 1.6, p < 0.05). The plasma levels of total lipid, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and leptin decreased significantly after MNT (489.8 +/- 100.4 vs 447.0 +/- 87.3 mg/dL, 187.7 +/- 34.0 vs 175.9 +/- 31.5 mg/dL, 115.2 +/- 29.2 vs 109.2 +/- 26.7 mg/dL, 15.7 +/- 7.6 vs 12.4+/- 5.9 ng/mL, respectively, p < 0.05). These results indicate that MNT efficiently reduced the body weight through the changes in dietary intake, dietary patterns and dietary quality. MNT also changed body composition and reduced the levels of plasma lipid, cholesterol and leptin.

Discrepancy between in vitro and in vivo effect of Galphas gene mutation on the mRNA expression of TRH receptor

We investigated the effect of alpha-subunit of the stimulatory GTP-binding protein (Galphas) gene mutation on the expression of the thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) receptor (TRH-R) gene in GH3 cells and in growth hormone (GH)-secreting adenomas of acromegalic patients. In the presence of cycloheximide, forskolin and isobutylmethylxanthine, cholera toxin, and GH-releasing hormone (GBRH) decreased rat TRH-R (rTRH-R) gene expression by about 39%, 43.7%, and 46.7%, respectively. Transient expression of a vector expressing mutant-type Galphas decreased the rTRH-R gene expression by about 50% at 24 h of transfection, whereas a wild-type Galphas expression vector did not. The transcript of human TRH-R (hTRH-R) gene was detected in 6 of 8 (75%) tumors. Three of them (50%) showed the paradoxical GH response to TRH and the other three patients did not show the response. The relative expression of hTRH-R mRNA in the tumors from patients with the paradoxical response of GH to TRH did not differ from that in the tumors from patients without the paradoxical response. Direct PCR sequencing of GALPHAs gene disclosed a mutant allele and a normal allele only at codon 201 in 4 of 8 tumors. The paradoxical response to TRH was observed in 2 of 4 patients without the mutation, and 2 of 4 patients with the mutation. The hTRH-R gene expression of pituitary adenomas did not differ between the tumors without the mutation and those with mutation. The present study suggests that the expression of TRH-R gene is not likely to be a main determinant for the paradoxical response of GH to TRH, and that Galphas mutation may suppress the gene expression of TRH-R in GH-secreting adenoma. However, a certain predisposing factor(s) may play an important role in determining the expression of TRH-R.