High Pasta vs. Low Pasta Diet in the Treatment of Obesity

To the best of our knowledge, the effect of pasta consumption within a hypocaloric Mediterranean diet has only been scarcely explored yet. Therefore, a two-parallel group dietary intervention was carried out to investigate if pasta consumption could affect the BMI change in obese patients. The primary outcome was the loss of at leat 8% of the initial body weight in the first 6 months. Anthropometric and body composition (from bioelectrical impedance analysis - BIA-) measures were collected every month for the first 6 months and after 1 year. In addition, dietary information was collected at baseline and after 3, 6 and 12 months through a 7-day carbohydrate food record and a 24-h food recall. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at 6 and 12 months to assess: glucose, insulin, Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistant (HOMA-IR) index, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and uric acid. Furthermore, the perceived quality of life was investigated through the 36-items short form health survey (SF36) questionnaire.