Moderate-fat better than low-fat diet

A low-fat diet can help people lose weight, but a moderate-fat diet that contains plenty of healthy, plant-based fats is a better choice for boosting heart health while shedding weight. In a new study, people on low-fat and moderate-fat diets both lost weight, but those on the moderate-fat diet experienced a greater reduction in cardiovascular or heart risk. Researchers from the State University of New York at Buffalo, USA, compared the effects of low-fat and moderate-fat diets in 53 overweight and obese men and women. For 6 weeks, people in the low-fat group consumed a diet in which 18 percent of total calories came from fat, while for those in the moderate-fat group 33 percent of calories came from fat. For the first 6 weeks, the diets were designed to help people lose about 2 pounds per week. After that, participants were put on a 4-week weight-maintenance plan. Both the low- and moderate-fat diets led to weight loss, but the moderate-fat diet had a more positive influence on markers of heart health.Even though both groups of dieters experienced a drop in LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol, the low-fat group also experienced a drop in levels of HDL, or 'good' cholesterol after losing weight. HDL levels did not return to normal even after the 4-week weight-maintenance programme. In contrast, HDL levels remained steady in people who consumed a moderate-fat diet. They also experienced other improvements in cardiovascular health, including a decrease in triacylglycerol, a fatty substance linked to heart disease.

The results show that there are alternatives to a low-fat diet when it comes to losing weight and reducing the risk for heart disease. The researchers point out that a moderate-fat diet is easier to stick to in the long run than a low-fat plan. To incorporate healthy monounsaturated fats into the diet, the researchers recommended using olive or peanut oils as a cooking medium and adding nuts and seeds to salads. It is best to avoid saturated fats that are known to increase the risk of heart disease.