Fibro‐inflammatory recovery and type 2 diabetes remission following a low calorie diet but not exercise training: A secondary analysis of the DIASTOLIC randomised controlled trial

AIMS: To investigate the relationship between fibro‐inflammatory biomarkers and cardiovascular structure/function in people with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) compared to healthy controls and the effect of two lifestyle interventions in T2D. METHODS: Data were derived from the DIASTOLIC randomised controlled trial (RCT) and includes a comparison between those with T2D and the matched healthy volunteers recruited at baseline. Adults with T2D without cardiovascular disease (CVD) were randomized to a 12‐week intervention either: (1) exercise training, (2) a low‐energy (∼810 kcal/day) meal‐replacement plan (MRP) or (3) standard care. Principal Component and Fisher's linear discriminant analysis were used to investigate the relationships between MRI acquired cardiovascular outcomes and fibro‐inflammatory biomarkers in cases versus controls and pre‐ and post‐intervention in T2D. RESULTS: At baseline, 83 people with T2D (mean age 50.5 ± 6.4; 58% male) and 36 healthy controls (mean age 48.6 ± 6.2; 53% male) were compared and 76 people with T2D completed the RCT for pre‐ post‐analysis. Compared to healthy controls, subjects with T2D had adverse cardiovascular remodelling and a fibro‐inflammatory profile (20 differentially expressed biomarkers). The 3D data visualisations showed almost complete separation between healthy controls and those with T2D, and a marked shift towards healthy controls following the MRP (15 biomarkers significantly changed) but not exercise training. CONCLUSIONS: Fibro‐inflammatory pathways and cardiovascular structure/function are adversely altered before the onset of symptomatic CVD in middle‐aged adults with T2D. The MRP improved the fibro‐inflammatory profile of people with T2D towards a more healthy status. Long‐term studies are required to assess whether these changes lead to continued reverse cardiac remodelling and prevent CVD.