Hypercaloric diets differing in fat composition have similar effects on serum leptin and weight gain in female subjects with anorexia nervosa ☆,☆☆ Birgit Mauler a,1 , Svenja Dubben b,c,1 , Markus Pawelzik a , Dorothea Pawelzik a , David S. Weigle d , Mario Kratz b,e, ⁎ ,2 a Christoph-Dornier-Clinic for Psychotherapy, 48143 Münster, Germany b Leibnitz-Institute of Arteriosclerosis Research, 48149 Münster, Germay c University Hospital RWTH 52056 Aachen, Germany d Division of Metabolism, Endocrinology and Nutrition, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA e Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA Received 26 September 2008; revised 10 December 2008; accepted 11 December 2008 Abstract Weight regain in subjects with anorexia nervosa is associated with an increase in serum leptin concentrations that is hypothesized to impair full weight restoration. As diets rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) have been described to lower serum leptin concentrations, we tested the hypothesis that consumption of a hypercaloric diet rich in n-3 PUFA is associated with an attenuated increase in serum leptin and a higher efficiency of body weight gain in subjects with anorexia nervosa. Twenty-five female subjects with anorexia nervosa were enrolled into this controlled dietary intervention study. Four subjects discontinued therapy or participation in the study prematurely, and six were excluded. 15 subjects completed the study. Subjects consumed hypercaloric diets rich in either saturated fatty acids (SFA, n = 8) or n-3 PUFA (n = 7) for 5 weeks. Primary endpoints were the change in serum leptin concentrations and body weight gain relative to energy consumed. Serum leptin concentrations increased distinctly throughout the study (P b .001), and to a similar extend in both groups [+2.9 (SD 2.4) vs. +2.8 (SD 3.4) ng/mL in the SFA- and n-3 PUFA group, respectively; P = .487]. The efficiency of body weight gain also did not differ significantly between groups, with a body weight gain of 63.1 (SD 12.4) vs. 79.2 (SD 26.0) g per 4.2 MJ (1000 kcal) consumed in the SFA- and n-3 PUFA group, respectively (P = .132). Hypercaloric diets rich in either SFA or n-3 PUFA do not differ in their effects on serum leptin concentrations and the efficiency of body weight gain in female subjects with anorexia nervosa. © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Body weight; Weight gain; Leptin; Dietary intervention study Abbreviations: AN, Anorexia nervosa; BMI, Body mass index; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low- density lipoprotein cholesterol; PUFA, Polyunsaturated fatty acids; RM-ANOVA, repeated-measures analysis of variance; SFA, Saturated fatty acids. Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Nutrition Research 29 (2009) 1 – 7 www.nrjournal.com ☆ The study was funded with institutional funds from the Institute of Arteriosclerosis Research at the University of Münster. ☆☆ All authors contributed to writing the manuscript. BM was involved in study design and coordinated the patient-related activities within the Christoph- Dornier-Clinic; SD calculated the study diets, assessed actual food consumption, and performed laboratory analyses of serum leptin and plasma ghrelin; MP and DP were involved in the design and planning of the study and were the physicians of record for the study subjects; DSW provided expertise for laboratory analyses and contributed to the analysis and interpretation of the data; MK initiated and coordinated all aspects of the study and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. ⁎ Corresponding author. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Mail stop M4-B402, Seattle, WA 90109, USA. Tel.: +1 206 667 7362; fax: +1 206 667 5977. E-mail address: mkratz@fhcrc.org (M. Kratz). 1 BM and SD contributed equally to this work. 2 Guarantor: Mario Kratz. 0271-5317/$ – see front matter © 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2008.12.001