Nutrition Science Does losing weight help with a reduced or reduced carbohydrate diet?

Not all calories have the same effect on our weight

Diets are a dime a dozen and new ones are added every week. Who should keep track? In a recent large-scale nutrition study, various diets have been observed over a longer period of time to identify which diet is ahead in losing weight. It also turned out that losing weight is not just about calories. Although all participants received the same number of calories over 20 weeks, one particular group decreased the most.

An American research team from the Boston Children's Hospital and Framingham State University observed and controlled overweight individuals over a 20-week period while following prescribed diet plans. During this period, body weight, insulin levels, metabolic hormones and calories burned were measured at regular intervals. It showed that weight loss is more important than just the number of calories. The study results have recently been published in the journal "The BMJ".

Which diet is best for losing weight? American researchers found that not only the number but also the type of calories consumed decides. (Photo: exclusive-design / fotolia.com)

Obesity and overweight - an increasing health problem

Overweight and obesity are a growing health problem, not only in America but also in Germany. Obesity promotes numerous heart diseases, hypertension, diabetes and depression (see: Obesity can cause depression). Physicians and scientists are desperately looking for effective methods to counteract this. Diets are good measures to lose body weight, but for many, success is short-lived. A few months later, the weight is back, sometimes even more than before.

Which diet is best for losing weight?

Which diet is most effective for long-lasting weight loss? This question was answered by the American research team. The researchers compared three diets on a group of overweight subjects over a 20-week period. The nutrition was completely provided by the university to ensure that all participants receive the same number of calories.

Three Diets - Same calorie count, different weight loss

The participants were divided into three groups. One group was given a diet consisting of 20% carbohydrates, 40% carbohydrates in the second group, and 60% carbohydrates in the third group. Although the calorie count was exactly the same in all three groups, it was found that participants from the low-carbohydrate group decreased the most and sustained weight loss the longest.

Calories are not equal to calories

The researchers concluded that calories from carbohydrates lead to faster fat storage. "Carbohydrates increased insulin levels during the diet and drove fat cells to store more calories," research director Dr. med. David Ludwig in a press release on the study results. The increased storage would be available for the rest of the body less calories. The result: The metabolism slows down and hunger increases, so the nutrition expert. Out of this condition, a fast weight gain can arise.

Weight loss in the low-carb group was significantly greater

As the researchers documented, the total energy expenditure in the group with the low carbohydrate diet was highest in the 20 weeks. With the same average body weight and caloric intake, participants who followed a low-carb diet burned around 250 kilocalories a day more than those with higher carbohydrate intake. People who already had high levels of insulin at the beginning of the study, the difference was even more dramatic. Here, the low-carb group burned a whopping 400 calories more a day.

The carbohydrate insulin model

The study provides evidence that the so-called carbohydrate-insulin model is suitable for the treatment of obesity. The researchers were able to show that the intake of carbohydrates leads to a higher release of insulin. This promotes the build-up of fat stores, slows down the metabolism, inhibits satiety and promotes the feeling of hunger. "Our observations challenge the belief that all calories are the same for the body," summarizes the second study director Cara Ebbeling. (Vb)