Diets low carb more effective than low fat

Diets: Low Carb more effective than Low Fat

09/02/2014

Although diets are in vogue, it has long been argued about how to lose excess pounds. Generally eat little, only eat fruit, refrain from sugar, too much fat or carbohydrates in the diet as possible? According to a new study, the low-carb diet is better than the one based on low-fat.

Two diet methods compared
Diets are booming! On TV, in the circle of acquaintances, in the work: everywhere people exchange themselves, how they can break down the most effective and healthiest excess pounds. The respective approaches have been debated in expert circles for years. A new US study has now tested two of the most popular methods against each other: low-carb diet versus low-fat diet. Researchers concluded that "eliminating carbohydrates was more effective for weight loss and reducing cardiovascular risk than low-fat diets".

All participants suffered from obesity at baseline
A total of 148 men and women participated in the study. All of them suffered from overweight or obesity, but not from cardiovascular disease or diabetes. The participants were on average less than 50 years old at the beginning of the study, approximately 100 kilograms and had a Body Mass Index (BMI) of just over 35. Subjects were randomly split evenly into two groups. In one, participants were encouraged to eat no more than 40 grams of digestible carbs per day, with no restriction on indigestible fiber. In the other groups, subjects should only consume up to 30 percent of their daily calories in the form of fat.

80 percent of the participants were dieting until the end
The researchers led by Lydia Bazzano of Tulane University in New Orleans followed the weight loss patients for a total of one year on their diet, regularly documented the state of health and eating behavior. In addition, they organized nutritional consultations for all participants, including the nutritional value of various oils. Like the scientists in the journal „Annals of Internal Medicine“ In both groups, around 80 percent of the participants persevered in the diet until the end. Even if no upper calorie limit was set, the energy intake in both diets was similarly low at around 1,400 kilocalories per day. However, the reduction of carbohydrates in weight led to significantly greater effects.

Significantly more weight loss with low-carb diet
For example, participants in the low-carb group had lost an average of 3.5 kilograms more than the low-fat group after twelve months, even though they did not comply with their specifications. The subjects who were supposed to limit the fat in the diet met the requirements fully, but the participants who should reduce the carbohydrates consumed instead of the 40 given on average about 90 grams of digestible carbohydrates per day. In the low-carb group, participants lost an average of 5.3 kilograms after one year, but in the low-fat group, they were only 1.8 kilograms lighter.

Study participants should not move anymore
And blood lipid levels, the ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol and body fat were also better off in carbohydrate-free participants. Although the results of the current study are clear, it should not be overlooked that only a relatively small number of participants were involved and that other studies yielded partly opposite results. In addition, the results may also be slightly biased, as the participants were urged by the researchers not to move more in the study months than in the previous period.

High meat consumption carries health risks
In the past, experts have often criticized a diet low in carbohydrates and protein, often criticizing and pointing out the various disadvantages. The protein-stressed diet is often associated with high meat consumption, which carries health risks. The consumption of red meat is associated with an increased risk of cancer and high-fat meat plays a role in the development of cardiovascular diseases by promoting high blood lipid levels. In addition, nutrition experts emphasize time and again that a meat-rich diet often leads to increased formation of uric acid in the body, which in the long term may lead to kidney stones or gout in some people. (Ad)

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