Plain language summary
Obesity and insulin resistance are associated with accelerated aging and increased risk of many age-related diseases. The risk of many cancers, including prostate cancer, increases with age and being overweight further increases the risk. The aim of the study is to investigate the inhibition of tumour growth through the effect of protein restriction diets and hence, levels of circulating amino acids. The participants of the study were men (n=38) with prostate cancer awaiting prostatectomy surgery. Most of the subjects were overweight with a BMI of 30.45 ± 5.8. They were randomly assigned to either a control diet or a protein restricted diet. In comparison to the control diet, results show that protein restriction increased the levels of receptors (a protein molecule that receives chemical signals from outside a cell) responsible of leptin, the hormone that controls hunger. The results also show that protein restriction can improve the body’s sensitivity to the effects of the insulin in neurons (a nerve cell specialised to transmit information throughout the body). Authors conclude that protein restriction can counteract major age-related diseases.
Abstract
Obesity, metabolic syndrome, and hyperleptinemia are associated with aging and age-associated diseases including prostate cancer. One experimental approach to inhibit tumor growth is to reduce dietary protein intake and hence levels of circulating amino acids. Dietary protein restriction (PR) increases insulin sensitivity and suppresses prostate cancer cell tumor growth in animal models, providing a rationale for clinical trials. We sought to demonstrate that biomarkers derived from plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) reflect systemic leptin and insulin signaling and respond to dietary interventions. We studied plasma samples from men with prostate cancer awaiting prostatectomy who participated in a randomized trial of one month of PR or control diet. We found increased levels of leptin receptor in the PR group in total plasma EVs and in a subpopulation of plasma EVs expressing the neuronal marker L1CAM. Protein restriction also shifted the phosphorylation status of the insulin receptor signal transducer protein IRS1 in L1CAM+ EVs in a manner suggestive of improved insulin sensitivity. Dietary PR modifies indicators of leptin and insulin signaling in circulating EVs. These findings are consistent with improved insulin and leptin sensitivity in response to PR and open a new window for following physiologic responses to dietary interventions in humans.
Methodological quality
Jadad score
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1
Allocation concealment
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Yes
