The Effect of Hypocaloric Diet Enriched in Legumes on Anthropometric Indices in Women with Central Obesity

Identifying new ways to decrease adiposity have great importance for human health. We aimed to find out whether l – arginine (Arg) and selenium alone or together can increase the effect of hypocaloric diet enriched in legumes (HDEL) on anthropometric measures in healthy women with central obesity. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was undertaken in 84 healthy premenopausal women with central obesity. After 2 wk of run - in on an isocaloric diet, participants were randomly considered to eat HDEL, Arg (5 gr / d) and HDEL, selenium (200 µg / d) and HDEL or Arg, selenium and HDEL for 6 wk. The following variables were assessed before intervention and 3 and 6 wk after it: weight, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist to hip ratio (WHR), body mass index (BMI), and fasting nitrite / nitrate (NOx) concentrations. Other variables were assessed before and after intervention including: arm, thigh, calf and breast circumferences, subscapular, triceps, biceps and suprailiac skinfold thicknesses, sum of skinfold thicknesses (SSF), body density (D) and estimated percent of body fat (EPF). HDEL showed a significant effect in reduction of waist, hip, arm, thigh, calf and breast circumferences, triceps, biceps, subscapular and suprailiac skinfold thicknesses, WHR, SSF, D and EPF. HDEL + Arg + selenium significantly reduced suprailiac skinfold thicknesses. HDEL, Arg, selenium and Arg plus selenium had not significant effect on weight, BMI and fasting NOx. The study indicates that control diet with HDEL + Arg + selenium reduce suprailiac skinfold thicknesses which represents as reduction of abdominal obesity.