Effects of caloric restriction on body composition and total body nitrogen as measured by neutron activation

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of two isocaloric diets (800 Kcals) on the changes in body composition during weight reduction. While the protein content of both diets was 70 g, the carbohydrate content of diet A was 10 g and that of diet B was 70 g. The various parameters of body composition were determined as follows: Total body potassium (TBK) by 40K counting, total body water (TBW) by the tritiated water technique, total body nitrogen (TBN) by prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA) and total body fat was estimated by measuring the skinfold thickness. Routine serum chemistries were performed every 2 wk and serum insulin and triiodothyronine by radioimmunoassay were done at 4-wk intervals. Seventeen obese women who were at least 30% above ideal body weight volunteered for the outpatient study, (group A--10 subjects, group B--7 subjects). At the end of the 12 wk study, the percent changes in the above parameters of body composition were not significantly different for the two groups. The biochemical changes were consistent with the degree of caloric restriction. We conclude that: (1) the technique of prompt gamma neutron activation analysis can be used effectively to determine long term changes in total body nitrogen during weight reduction, (2) loss of lean tissue (water, potassium and nitrogen) as well as fat tissue occurred during weight reduction. The loss of TBN in absolute quantities was less for diet A compared to diet B; however, there was no significant difference between the two diets when the data was expressed as a percent change from the baseline values, and (3) TBK determination probably provides the best estimate of total body fat.