Low-fat not the best way to diet - study

Friday October 30th, 2015

Low-fat diets are not the best way to lose weight, according to the findings of a major study published today.

Researchers compared low-fat diets with low-carbohydrate regimes and also with the so-called Mediterranean diet, which includes large amounts of fish, pulses and fresh vegetables.

They found that people on low-fat diets on average lost about 2.5 lbs (1.15 kg) less in weight than those on the other diets.

In The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology the researchers report on an analysis of 53 studies involving nearly 70,000 adults.

Researcher Dr Deirdre Tobias, from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA, said: "There is no good evidence for recommending low-fat diets.

"Behind current dietary advice to cut out the fat, which contains more than twice the calories per gram of carbohydrates and protein, the thinking is that simply reducing fat intake will naturally lead to weight loss. But our robust evidence clearly suggests otherwise."

She added: "The science does not support low-fat diets as the optimal long-term weight loss strategy. To effectively address the obesity epidemic, we will need more research to identify better approaches for long-term weight loss and weight maintenance, including the need to look beyond differences in macronutrient composition - the proportion of calories that come from fat, carbohydrate, and protein.

"Long-term adherence is critical for the success of any dietary intervention, and one should also take into account other long-term health effects of their dietary choices."

Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology 30 October 2015 [abstract]

Tags: Diabetes | Diet & Food | North America

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