BDNF decreases in response to an 8-week “Paleo” diet intervention

Many popular diet trends often result in short-term weight loss, but potential changes in health-related biomarkers need to also be investigated. The PURPOSE of this feasibility study was to evaluate biomarkers before and after a “Paleo” diet intervention and to pilot methodology related to subject instructions for self-preparing meals. Methods Seven overweight but otherwise healthy adults (age mean  ±  SE = 32.7  ±  5.1 years; BMI 29.4  ±  1.2 kg/m 2 ) completed eight weeks of a “Paleo” dietary intervention. Subjects were provided with menus, recipes, and one-on-one meetings to provide guidance with purchasing food and preparing meals that align with the “Paleo” diet. A post-absorptive blood sample was collected pre- and post-intervention. Serum was stored for end of study ELISA and multiplex analyses. Results Serum BDNF decreased ( p  = 0.0219) from pre-intervention (1286.7  ±  135.1 ng/mL) to post- intervention (900.8  ±  72.7 ng/mL). Serum leptin also decreased ( p  = 0.0118) from pre-intervention (2796.7  ±  693.3 pg/mL) to post-intervention (1262.9  ±  454.5 pg/mL). There was no change in serum insulin concentration. Body weight decreased 5.3  ±  1.4 kg ( p  = 0.0084). Discussion BDNF and leptin decreased concurrently with body weight. This may provide some support for the potential roles of BDNF and leptin in energy intake and body weight regulation. Conclussion This is the first study to report a “Paleo” diet- induced decrease in BDNF and leptin in an overweight but otherwise healthy population.