The Effect of High Fiber Diet on Sex Hormones in Early Pubertal Obese Girls; a Randomized Crossover Clinical Trial

Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of high-fiber diet onsexual hormones in obese and overweight female adolescents.Methods: This randomized crossover clinical trial was conducted among 56 obese or overweight girls inShiraz, Iran. All subjects were randomly divided into two groups. A list containing high (25 g/day greenleafy vegetables or fresh fruits) and low fiber diets were prepared for case and control groups,respectively. Each group consumed their special diet for two months. After a month of cleanup period,the intended diet was replaced between the two groups. Blood sample of participants were taken inthird to fifth day of the spontaneous menstrual cycle. After the end of each step, the serum levels ofSHBG, DHEA, estradiol and testosterone were measured. Data was analyzed by SPSS (V.19) using paired sample t-test and independent t-test. Significant level was considered below 0.05 IRCT ID; 2012120811699N1.Results: The results showed that high-fiber diet significantly reduced the serum levels of testosterone, estradiol, and DHEA compared to low fiber diet (P = 0.0001). Nevertheless, the changes of SHBG level were not significant between the two diets (P > 0.05).Conclusions: This study demonstrated that the use of high-fiber diet can decrease the sex hormones in adolescent girls. Consuming a high fiber diet is recommended for obese and overweight patients.

Keywords:

Vegetables , Fruit , Obesity , Overweight , Gonadal Steroid Hormones , Female