Weight loss can be achieved either with low-fat or low carbohydrate diet when coupled with lifestyle modification. However, a low carbohydrate diet is better for heart patients.
In overweight individuals, what should be shunned - carbohydrates or fat? This issue is unimportant in the long run. When combined with extensive guidance about eating and exercise, people lost about the same amount of weight whether they were on a low-carbohydrate diet or a traditional low-fat diet.
Previous studies have shown that both low fat diet and low carbohydrate diet helps in losing weight in the short term. To find which diet works better in the long run, researchers studied 307 overweight Americans for two years as they participated in a low-carbohydrate diet or a low-fat diet that was also low in calories. Their average age was 45 years and their average body-mass index (BMI) was 36, meaning they were typically obese.
Those on the low-fat diet were told to eat 1,200-1,800 calories a day, with less than 30 percent of these from fat. Those on the low-carbohydrate diet were instructed to eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day, although they could eat as much fats and proteins as they wanted. In addition to dieting, the participants received guidance about dieting and exercise similar to that offered in commercial weight-loss programmes.
It was found that the participants lost 7 percent of their weight after two years, or an average of about just over 6 kg. The results were similar, no matter which diet they were on. But there was one difference that those who were on the low-carbohydrate diet did have one extra benefit. Their blood pressure and levels of "good" cholesterol improved a bit more than those who cut down on fat. Good cholesterol grew by 11 percent in the low-fat group and 23 percent in the low-carbohydrate group. Blood pressure also fell by a significant level in the low-carbohydrate group when compared to the low-fat group.
The findings suggest that the kind of diet that a person adopts may be less important than his or her ability to stick to it. The study shows that weight loss can be achieved either with low-fat or low carbohydrate diet when coupled with lifestyle modification. However, a low carbohydrate diet is better for heart patients.
Previous studies have shown that both low fat diet and low carbohydrate diet helps in losing weight in the short term. To find which diet works better in the long run, researchers studied 307 overweight Americans for two years as they participated in a low-carbohydrate diet or a low-fat diet that was also low in calories. Their average age was 45 years and their average body-mass index (BMI) was 36, meaning they were typically obese.
Those on the low-fat diet were told to eat 1,200-1,800 calories a day, with less than 30 percent of these from fat. Those on the low-carbohydrate diet were instructed to eat no more than 20 grams of carbohydrates a day, although they could eat as much fats and proteins as they wanted. In addition to dieting, the participants received guidance about dieting and exercise similar to that offered in commercial weight-loss programmes.
It was found that the participants lost 7 percent of their weight after two years, or an average of about just over 6 kg. The results were similar, no matter which diet they were on. But there was one difference that those who were on the low-carbohydrate diet did have one extra benefit. Their blood pressure and levels of "good" cholesterol improved a bit more than those who cut down on fat. Good cholesterol grew by 11 percent in the low-fat group and 23 percent in the low-carbohydrate group. Blood pressure also fell by a significant level in the low-carbohydrate group when compared to the low-fat group.
The findings suggest that the kind of diet that a person adopts may be less important than his or her ability to stick to it. The study shows that weight loss can be achieved either with low-fat or low carbohydrate diet when coupled with lifestyle modification. However, a low carbohydrate diet is better for heart patients.
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