Low Carb Diet Study
Aren’t we losing weight with low carb?
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Many of us consider cutting carbs to be one of the most effective ways to lose weight. But does the low-carb diet really do more than the others? Some studies say no.
Paleo, keto, low carb – diets without or at least with much less carbohydrates have exploded in recent years and, above all, promise great success in weight loss. But can we really lose as much weight as we think by not eating pizza, pasta and the like? A meta-analysis of 61 studies with a total of nearly 7,000 participants found no significant benefit from low-carb nutrition — especially not over longer periods of time.
According to studies: Avoiding carbohydrates does not help you lose weight as much as you might think
In the various studies, researchers compared low-carb diets with other nutritional methods in which healthy carbohydrates are on the menu. Adults were examined, some overweight, others of normal weight. Most subjects had good heart health, while some suffered from cardiovascular disease.
The research results may surprise some: “People who followed a low-carb diet for up to two years lost a similar amount of weight to those who followed a balanced, high-carb diet,” says Celeste Naude of Stellenbosch University. in Cape Town First author of the analysis.
For so long we assumed that we would lose weight permanently and maintain our healthy weight if we only ate a small amount of carbohydrates, mostly grains. However, studies have not been able to confirm this, especially over long periods of time. Overweight people who did not have diabetes could lose about a pound more in three to eight months than with other diets. For a period of between one and two years, the difference was again less than one kilo.
Low carb: heart health doesn’t necessarily benefit either
But it’s not just when it comes to losing weight that low-carb diets don’t really deliver, as Celeste Naude explains: “Changes in heart disease risk factors were also seen in people who followed these diets for up to two years, similar.” This applies to people with type 2 diabetes as well as healthy people.
So if we want to lose weight for health reasons, we should try to do so through methods other than cutting carbs, according to the study authors – such as reducing the amount of energy consumed and a overall healthy and balanced schedule. Above all, it should be fresh, unprocessed foods, plenty of fruits and vegetables, and enough fiber, especially whole-grain products.
Source used: cochrane.de