Cut Carbs, Not Fat, For Weight Loss

A low-carb diet may contribute to greater weight loss and could better reduce risk for cardiovascular disease than a low-fat diet, according to a recent study.

“Over the years, the message has always been to go low-fat,” said Lydia Bazzano, MD, PhD.

“Yet we found those on a low-carb diet had significantly greater decreases in estimated 10-year risk for heart disease after 6 and 12 months than the low-fat group,” she said.
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For the study, 148 obese participants (mean body mass index of 35 kg/m²) were divided into 2 groups: one group consumed less than 40 g of carbs daily, and the other took in in less than 30% of their daily energy from fat.

Over the course of the study, average daily caloric intake was similar between the 2 groups (2448 in the low-carb group and 1527 in the low-fat group).

After 1 year, the group consuming low-carbs lost a mean 7.7 pounds (P = 0.002) more than the group getting calories from fat.

Researchers also noticed an increase in HDL cholesterol levels in the low-carb participants (P < 0.001) and a reduction in the bad-to-good cholesterol ratio, while both groups showed the same levels of LDL cholesterol.

Investigators further noted that the low-carb participants showed a decreased risk of heart disease based on the participants’ 10-year Framingham risk score for coronary heart disease.

The complete study is published in the September issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.

-Michelle Canales

References:

Bazzano LA, Hu Tian, Reynolds K, et al. Effects of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2014 August [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.7326/M14-0180.

Tulane University. Dieting? Low-carb trumps low-fat for weight loss, heart health. September 2, 2014. http://tulane.edu/news/releases/low-carb-trumps-low-fat-for-weight-loss-heart-health.cfm. Accessed September 2, 2014.