Thursday, July 13, 2023

Importance Of Carbohydrates In Weight Management

The Study

A recent weight loss trial (The Diet Fits Trial) compared a low-fat diet to a low-carb diet. The results showed that a lower carb diet increased weight loss at 3 and 6 months but that there was no difference after a year.

This study reanalyzed the data by creating a biomarker of carbohydrate intake (triglycerides/HDL cholesterol) and a biomarker of fat intake (LDL cholesterol + HDL cholesterol) and examined how these impacted weight loss in the Diet Fits subjects. The results were interesting:

-The carbohydrate biomarker predicted weight loss at all 3 time points.

-The fat biomarker did not predict weight loss.

-The reduction of the glycemic load drove most of the weight loss in these subjects.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2023; 117:599-606.

Take Home Message

The message here is simple. If you are trying to lose weight, pay attention to your carbs. The glycemic load of the carbs you eat will have the biggest impact on your ability to lose weight. The research bears this out, as does my 20 years of experience working with weight loss clients.

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