Effects of a Low-carbohydrate/High-protein Diet on Gut Microbiome Composition in Insulin Resistant Individuals with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: Preliminary Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the impact of a low-carbohydrate/high-protein (LC/HP) diet that meets all nutrient recommendations and includes healthy dietary components (e.g., lean meat, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, fiber, etc.) on the gut microbiome composition in individuals with chronic spinal cord injury (SCI).
DESIGN
A single-center randomized parallel controlled trial.
SETTING
Research University PARTICIPANTS: Adult participants with chronic SCI (3 years or more after the injury, C2-L2, AIS A-D). Participants were insulin resistant and had not received antibiotics within 4 weeks before enrolling in the study.
INTERVENTIONS
Participants were randomized to the LC/HP diet group (40% energy from carbohydrates, 30% energy from protein, 30% energy from fat, and met dietary guideline recommendations) or the control group for 8 weeks. Participants assigned to the LC/HP group were provided with all meals delivered weekly to their homes. Participants assigned to the control group were asked to continue their usual diet.
OUTCOME MEASURE(S)
Stool samples were collected at baseline and the end of week 8. The gut microbiome 16s rRNA V4 region was sequenced, and gut microbiome diversity and taxonomical abundance were computed using the QIIME2 suite.
RESULTS
Participants in the LC/HP group had significant changes in alpha-diversity (reduced OTU and Faith's phylogenetic diversity) and beta-diversity (unweighted Unifrac), while no significant differences were observed among…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
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