Study of Macronutrients and Heart Disease Risk (MACRO)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00609271 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : February 7, 2008
Results First Posted : November 19, 2018
Last Update Posted : November 19, 2018
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The objective of this trial is to examine the long-term effects of a diet low in carbohydrates, as compared to one low in fat, on cardiovascular disease risk factors, including blood pressure (BP), body weight and composition, serum lipids, plasma glucose, insulin, adipocytokines (adiponectin, leptin, resistin), and C-reactive protein (CRP) among obese adults.
The investigators will test the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: Compared to a low fat diet, a diet low in carbohydrates will reduce systolic and diastolic BP over 12 months; Hypothesis 2: Compared to a low fat diet, a diet low in carbohydrates will reduce body weight, total percent body fat, and waist circumference over 12 months; Hypothesis 3: Compared to a low fat diet, a diet low in carbohydrates will reduce serum levels of LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides and increase serum levels of HDL-cholesterol over 12 months; Hypothesis 4: Compared to a low fat diet, a diet low in carbohydrates will reduce plasma levels of glucose and insulin levels over 12 months; and Hypothesis 5: Compared to a low fat diet, a diet low in carbohydrates will reduce plasma levels of leptin, resistin, and CRP and increase plasma levels of adiponectin over 12 months.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Obesity Body Composition Blood Pressure Cardiovascular Diseases | Behavioral: low carbohydrate diet Behavioral: low fat diet | Not Applicable |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 148 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Single (Outcomes Assessor) |
Primary Purpose: | Prevention |
Official Title: | Macronutrient Composition of Diet and Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease |
Study Start Date : | January 2008 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | January 2011 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | January 2012 |
Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: 1
low carbohydrate diet
|
Behavioral: low carbohydrate diet
<40 grams carbohydrate/day |
Active Comparator: 2
low fat diet
|
Behavioral: low fat diet
<30% fat, <7% saturated fat |
- Predicted Mean Difference in Body Weight From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Predicted mean difference from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in Lean Mass From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Mean Difference in Lean Mass predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in Fat Mass From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Mean Difference in Fat Mass predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences of Waist Circumference From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in Total Cholesterol Level From Baseline by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in LDL Cholesterol Level From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in HDL Cholesterol From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in Total-HDL Cholesterol Ratio From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in Triglycerides From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in Systolic Blood Pressure From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Difference in Diastolic Blood Pressure, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 Months ]Mean Difference in Diastolic Blood Pressure predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values
- Predicted Mean Difference in Plasma Glucose Level, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Mean Difference in Plasma Glucose Level predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in Serum Insulin Level From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 months ]Mean Difference in Serum Insulin Level predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences in C-reactive Protein Level From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 Months ]Mean Difference in C-reactive Protein Level predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values
- Predicted Mean Differences in Serum Creatinine Level From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 Months ]Mean Difference in Serum Creatinine Level predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.
- Predicted Mean Differences of 10-y Framingham Risk Score From Baseline, by Assigned Dietary Group [ Time Frame: 12 Months ]Mean Difference in 10-y Framingham Risk Score predicted from random-effects models that included diet, time, and diet-by-time interaction term. Markov-chain Monte Carlo techniques were used to impute missing values.

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 22 Years to 75 Years (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Men or women aged 22 - 75 years, any race/ethnicity
- BMI of 30 - 45 k/m2
- Willing and able to provide informed consent
Exclusion Criteria:
- History of self-reported clinical CVD (angina/myocardial infarction, coronary revascularization, heart failure, stroke/transient ischemic attack, peripheral arterial disease)
- Medical condition in which a low-carbohydrate diet may not be advised (diabetes, renal disease, cancer requiring treatment during the past year, osteoporosis, untreated thyroid disease, gout)
- Current use of more than 2 antihypertensive or more than 2 cholesterol-lowering medications
- For women, current pregnancy or breastfeeding or plans to become pregnant during the study period
- Consumption of more than 21 alcoholic beverages per week
- Currently on a diet or using prescription weight loss medications, underwent weight loss surgery, and/or experienced weight loss >15 pounds within 6 months of study entry
- Plans to move out of the study area (>1 hour from study site) or difficulty to come to the study site
- Participation of another household member in the study; employees or persons living with employees of the study
- Participation in other lifestyle intervention trials currently
- At the discretion of the study coordinator

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00609271
United States, Louisiana | |
Tulane University, Office of Health Research | |
New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, 70112 |
Principal Investigator: | Lydia A Bazzano, MD, PhD | Tulane University |
Responsible Party: | Lydia A. Bazzano, Associate Professor Epidemiology, Tulane University Health Sciences Center |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00609271 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
07-00111 |
First Posted: | February 7, 2008 Key Record Dates |
Results First Posted: | November 19, 2018 |
Last Update Posted: | November 19, 2018 |
Last Verified: | April 2018 |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Cardiovascular Diseases |