Energy balance
Significant weight loss (approx. 24%) achieved via a very low calorie diet (550 kcal/day) significantly improves circulating levels of adiponectin and leptin, whereas a low carbohydrate/high protein diet yielding minimal weight loss does not.
To improve your adiponectin and leptin levels, focus on achieving significant weight loss. This study shows that a very low-calorie diet (around 550 kcal/day) combined with behavioral support led to substantial weight loss (~24%) and significant improvements in these hormones. A low-carb diet that does not result in weight loss did not produce these benefits, suggesting that the weight loss itself is the primary driver of metabolic improvement, not the specific macronutrient ratio.
A significant weight loss of 23.8% from baseline weight was observed using a very low calorie diet and resulted in significant improvements in circulating levels of leptin, plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1, and adiponectin, which are likely to be due to weight loss and not macronutrient intake.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial design, but small sample size (n=31 completers) and short duration (9 months).
Source
Effect of weight loss on adipokine levels in obese patients
Catherine Rolland et al. · Diabetes Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity · 2011
DOI 10.2147/dmso.s22788
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