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Healthy diet and lifestyle have been shown to be important for obese patients in the management of diet‐related diseases especially in the improvement of cardiovascular disease risk indicators. The purpose of this paper is to determine the effects of a calorie‐restricted low‐fat diet on body weight, cardiovascular disease risk and liver function indicators in an obese, cardiology outpatient with type II diabetes.

A male, obese cardiology outpatient was assigned to a calorie‐restricted (6,694.4 kJ/d) low‐fat (not to exceed 20 per cent of total energy intake) diet for 12 weeks. His body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), pulse rate, fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, alanine aminotranseferase, aspartate aminotranseferase (AST) concentration and TC/HDL ratio were measured prior to the start of the diet and during weeks four, eight and 12 of the diet.

The patient found it difficult making changes to his diet and only reduced his weight by 1 kg. He significantly reduced his serum triglyceride by about 20 per cent, TC/HDL ratio by 13 per cent and fasting blood glucose concentration by 31 per cent. However, there was no significant change in his BP, pulse rate, total and LDL cholesterol concentration. He also reduced his AST concentration by 20 per cent and alanine aminotranseferase (ALT) by 19 per cent.

This paper usefully shows how healthier food choices involving increased intake of fruits and vegetables and restricted intake of total and saturated fat reduced the risk of cardiovascular death in a male cardiology outpatient with type II diabetes.

Excess weight and poor quality diets are known to be major and manageable causes of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) but the optimal diet for the prevention and reduction of CVD risk is not known. The purpose of this paper is to compare the effects of low‐fat and low‐GI diets on weight loss, liver function and CVD risk factors.

In total, 18 overweight/obese females were randomly assigned to eight weeks of either isocalorie (1,200 kcal day) low‐fat (<20 per cent energy intake as fat) or low‐GI (≤40 per cent energy intake as carbohydrate) diet. Participants kept a one week food and drink intake diary prior to starting the prescribed diet (week 0) and during weeks 4 and 8 of the diet. BMI, blood pressure, serum lipids, AST and ALT concentrations were measured at specific time intervals.

The low‐fat group reported more adequate micronutrient intake than the low‐GI group. Mean weight, BMI and systolic blood pressure reduced significantly in each group but there was no significant difference between groups. There was no significant change in mean LDL, HDL and total cholesterol concentration within and between groups. Mean triglyceride reduced significantly (33 per cent) in the low‐GI group but there was no significant change in the low‐fat group. The low‐GI diet significantly reduced ALT concentration by 16 per cent after four weeks but there was no significant change for the low‐fat group.

The paper shows that a low‐GI diet may be more effective at reducing CVD risk and improving liver function than a low‐fat diet. This extends data on a previous studies that compared low‐fat and low‐GI diets.