J.R. CABO-SOLER, Faculty of Medicine, University of Valencia, Spain
Presented at: The 14th Mediterranean Day of Aesthetical Medicine & Dermatological Surgery. Venice, Italy, 22-23 September, 1995
In many occasions, a well-planned hypocaloric diet is not effective or stops being effective for losing weight. This situation could be due to:
1. An important decrease in Basal metabolism, usually due to a loss of muscular mass, because of a diet very poor in proteins or too low in calories and lack of regular physical exercise.
2. Subclinical hypothyroidism
3. “Special effects” of certain foods, that prevent the loss of the weight, in spite of following a correct hypocaloric diet
We present the results of a clinical study using a simple “in vitro” blood test (Alcat Test), that through changes in number and volume of leukocytes, after incubating the patients blood with food extracts, detects the sensitivities to different foods and allows to plan a diet avoiding the offending foods for each particular patient.
A group of 30 patients with difficulties in losing weight when they followed a correct hypocaloric diet was studied. Changes in body weight, different parameters and skin folds during a four-week period prior to and after having the test performed and since then following a hypocaloric diet not containing the positive foods were compared. In 11 of the patients, whole body composition was determined prior to and after the four (4) week period on the Alcat Test oriented diet.
Our results confirm a greater weight loss in almost all the patients when they were on the diet planned according to the Alcat Test results and that this decrease was mainly at the expense of fat, with minor muscle losses and even in some cases (5/11) muscle mass increased. This relatively maintained or even increased muscle mass is very important for maintaining the loss of weight after a while.
Other interesting observations related to Aesthetic Medicine of this study, which have to be confirmed with new clinical studies are:
1. A better skin aspect (smoothness)
2. An important loss of fat of the thighs, especially in women, making it interesting in planning a diet to control cellulitis
3. A better sense of well-being, even with better physical performance
4. Abdominal bloating and other digestive problems get better
The possible mechanisms implied in the changes of the leukocyte population by different foods and the relation of positive results with the difficulty in losing weight and other health problems in the patients are being investigated.