One week of high-fat overfeeding alters bone metabolism in healthy males: A pilot study

Short periods of excessive consumption of indulgent high-fat foods are common in Western society, but the effect this has on bone is unknown. The aim of this pilot study was to explore how a 7-d hyperenergetic, high-fat diet affects candidate biomarkers of bone metabolism.

The study included 12 healthy men with a mean age of 24 y (SD = 4 y) and body mass index (BMI) of 24.1 kg/m² (SD = 1.5). The men consumed a 7-d hyperenergetic, high-fat diet (HE-HFD; 20.9 [SD = 0.8] MJ; 65% total energy as fat) and a control (CON) diet (10.9 [SD = 2] MJ; 36% total energy as fat), in randomized, crossover order, with each trial separated by 3 wk. Markers of bone formation (P1NP) and bone resorption (CTx) were measured at baseline and after 1, 3, and 7 d of each diet. Bone metabolic responses were analyzed using two-factor repeated-measures analysis of variance and subsequent pairwise comparisons.

There was a main effect of time (P < 0.05), but no trial (P = 0.270) or time- × -trial interaction (P = 0.693) effects for plasma concentrations of CTx. Mean CTx concentrations did not differ between trials (CON: 0.97 ng/mL [SD = 0.39]; HE-HFD: 1.03 ng/mL [SD = 0.22]; P = 0.225). There was a main effect of trial (P < 0.01), but no time (P = 0.138) or trial- × -interaction (P = 0.179) effects for plasma concentrations of P1NP. Mean P1NP concentrations were lower during the HE-HFD (61.79 ng/mL [SD = 26.54]) than during the CON diet (77.89 ng/mL [SD = 28.71]; P < 0.01).

A 7-d hyperenergetic, high-fat diet reduces a marker of bone formation but does not affect a marker of bone resorption. This pilot study suggested that short periods of excessive energy and fat consumption may detrimentally affect bone health.