Cutting fat out of the diet can work wonders for the figure – and health, researchers say today.
Researchers at the University of East Anglia, UK, claim their low-fat proposal is not a diet.
It just requires people to switch their consumption from fatty foods to other kinds of eating, they say.
Reporting in the British Medical Journal, they say this has been shown to cut weight by about three and a half pounds (1.6kg). It can also cut waist circumference by half a centimetre.
The findings come from an analysis of some 33 randomised trials involving low-fat diets. Studies have been undertaken in North America, Europe and New Zealand and have involved more than 70,000 people.
Dr Lee Hooper, of Norwich Medical School at the university, said: "The weight reduction that we found when people ate less fat was remarkably consistent – we saw it in almost every trial. Those who cut down more on fat, lost more weight.
"The effect isn’t dramatic, like going on a diet. The research specifically looked at people who were cutting down on fat, but didn’t aim to lose weight – so they were continuing to consume a normal amount of food.
"What surprised us was that they did lose weight, their body mass index decreased and their waists became slimmer. On top of this, they kept their weight down over at least seven years."
She added: "There isn’t a specific goal, the more fat you cut down, the more your weight falls."
She explained: ""This means having low fat milk and yogurt, cutting down on butter and cheese, and cutting the fat off meat. Most importantly have fruit instead of fatty snacks like biscuits, cake and crisps.
"And remember, this isn’t a diet, so don’t take it to extremes, but work out a way of eating that you can stick to permanently."
Fellow researcher Prof Carolyn Summerbell, from Durham University, UK, said: "A healthy diet is a way of eating that people can sustain over time. That’s the trick, to find a comfortable way to eat that you can stick to for life which helps you maintain your weight. Cutting down on fat will help.
"Doing exercise and being physically active is good for maintaining weight and also has other health benefits, but it’s not a replacement for a healthy diet."
Effect of reduction total fat intake on body weight: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials and cohort studies. BMJ December 7 2012
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