Individual Metabolism and Physiology Signature Study

Western Human Nutrition Research Center (WHNRC) scientists have observed rapid and substantial improvements in metabolic health indices in non-diabetic obese persons who undergo a weight-maintenance diet including prepared meals that were aligned with current dietary recommendations, including those of the Institute of Medicine and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Dietary Guidelines for Americans. For instance, marked reductions and often normalization of hyperinsulinemia were observed within days of provision of a controlled nutrient-dense high quality diet, and LDL was reduced by 20-30% or more within 2 weeks or possibly earlier. This indicates that change in diet alone would benefit many at-risk persons with respect to normalizing metabolic parameters and disease risk markers. Yet, surprisingly little formal research has focused on how a high quality, weight maintaining diet impacts health over a short-term period in at-risk individuals. The overall objective of this study is to determine if a nutrient-adequate diet closely aligned with food group recommendations set in the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans elicits a superior metabolic profile in persons at-risk for metabolic disease, compared to a nutrient-adequate containing foods closely aligned with the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) "What We Eat In America" report. Further, the investigation will include effect modification of stress-related cortisol measures on change in cardiometabolic risk factors.