Background: The development of obesity has been suggested to involve plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and tissue inhibitor of proteinases-1 (TIMP-1). Plasma PAI-1 is elevated in obesity. A low-glycemic-index (LGI) diet may have a beneficial effect on obesity through a decrease in plasma PAI-1, but whether it affects plasma TIMP-1 in healthy humans has not been studied.
Objective: We investigated whether a 10-wk intake of an LGI or a high-glycemic-index (HGI), high-carbohydrate, low-fat, ad libitum diet is associated with decreases in plasma PAI-1 and TIMP-1 concentrations in overweight women.
Design: Forty-four overweight women [body mass index (BMI; in kg/m2): 27.5+/-0.23] were randomly assigned to consume an HGI or an LGI diet for 10 wk. A subgroup of 29 women was assigned to participate in an additional 4-h meal test on the last day of the 10-wk intervention.
Results: PAI-1 activity decreased after 10 wk of the LGI diet and was significantly different between groups. Changes in PAI-1 antigen followed the same trend, but no significant difference was observed between groups. No difference in plasma TIMP-1 concentrations was observed between groups. PAI-1 and TIMP-1 concentrations after the 4-h meal test were not significantly different between groups.
Conclusion: An LGI diet reduces fasting plasma PAI-1 activity and therefore may be useful for diminishing the adverse cardiovascular effects of obesity. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00324090.