The investigators evaluated whether an energy-restricted protein diet with low glycaemic index carbohydrates and soluble fibers (LC-P-LGI) would be more effective than a conventional diet (LC-CONV) on weight-loss and related metabolic variables.

The subjects (9 men and 5 post-menopausal women) were randomly allocated, in a cross-over design, to two periods of 4 weeks of an energy restricted diet of 1200 kcal as either a conventional diet (LC- CONV) or a special energy restricted diet compensated by proteins (LC-P-LGI). The two nutritional periods were separated by a wash-out interval of 8 weeks. Before the start of the study, all subjects were instructed to maintain their usual lifestyle during the experimental period.Anthropometric parameters, glucose and lipid homeostasis and inflammatory markers were evaluated before and after each dietary period.Body fat and fat-free mass distributions were measured by a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA, GE Lunar Prodigy Corporation, Madison, WI, USA) before and after each dietary period at the fasting state.

Inclusion Criteria:

• BMI 26 to 35 Kg/m2
• 25 to 60 years old
• non diabetic subjects

Exclusion Criteria:

• SGOT and SGPT >2.5x the normal
• plasma glucose more than 1.26 g/l
• hepatic or renal or cardiac failure