Very-Low-Calorie Diet Increases Myocardial Triglyceride Content and Decreases Diastolic Left Ventricular Function in Type 2 Diabetes With Cardiac Complications

In healthy subjects and patients with uncomplicated type 2 diabetes, short-term very-low-calorie diet (VLCD) increases myocardial triglyceride (TG) content and decreases diastolic cardiac function (1). We hypothesized that in diabetic patients with cardiac complications, the adaptive capacity of the heart to adjust myocardial TG content, depending on the metabolic context, is diminished or lost. We aimed to assess the effects of a short-term VLCD in type 2 diabetic patients with cardiac complications on myocardial TG content and cardiac function. Therefore, 14 type 2 diabetic patients were included in this study (7 men, mean age 57 ± 3 years, 10 insulin users). Cardiac complications were defined as 1 ) obstructive coronary artery disease on multislice computed tomography angiography (≥50% luminal narrowing) and/or 2 ) myocardial perfusion defect on single photon emission computed tomography (summed stress score ≥3) (2). Exclusion criteria were age <18 years, thiazolidinedione use, congenital cardiac disease, or contraindications for magnetic resonance imaging. Written informed consent was obtained from all patients. This study was …