New study comparing 3 diets for weight loss

[Guest guest]

A study was just published in the New England Journal of Medicine on July 17th

comparing

the effectiveness and safety of three different weight loss diets. 322

moderately obese

subjects were assigned to one of three diets: low-fat, restricted-calorie;

Mediterranean,

restricted-calorie; or low-carbohydrate, non-restricted calorie.

The rate of adherence to the study diet was 95% at year one and 85% at year two.

Among the

272 participants who completed the intervention, the mean weight losses were 3.3

kg for the

low-fat group, 4.6 kg for the Mediterranean-diet group, and 5.5 kg for the low-

carbohydrate group.

Perhaps more significantly, the relative reduction in the ratio of total

cholesterol to HDL was

20% in the low carbohydrate group and 12% in the low-fat group. Among the 35

subjects

with diabetes, changes in fasting plasma glucose and insulin levels were more

favorable

among those assigned to the Mediterranean diet than among those assigned to the

low-fat

diet.

It appears that the low-carbohydrate diet was more effective for weight loss and

had a more

favorable effect on lipids than either the Mediterranean or low-fat diets.

See the full study here: http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/359/3/229

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the tip, but I saw something odd:

" The low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie diet aimed to provide 20

g of carbohydrates per day for the 2-month induction phase and

immediately after religious holidays, with a gradual increase to a

maximum of 120 g per day to maintain the weight loss. The intakes of

total calories, protein, and fat were not limited. However, the

participants were counseled to choose vegetarian sources of fat and

protein and to avoid trans fat. The diet was based on the Atkins diet "

I don't remember the Atkins diet promoting VEGETARIAN sources of fat

and protein. Probably they would have had better results had that

emphasis been eliminated.

[Guest guest]

>

> Thanks for the tip, but I saw something odd:

> " The low-carbohydrate, non–restricted-calorie diet aimed to provide 20

> g of carbohydrates per day for the 2-month induction phase and

> immediately after religious holidays, with a gradual increase to a

> maximum of 120 g per day to maintain the weight loss. The intakes of

> total calories, protein, and fat were not limited. However, the

> participants were counseled to choose vegetarian sources of fat and

> protein and to avoid trans fat. The diet was based on the Atkins diet "

>

> I don't remember the Atkins diet promoting VEGETARIAN sources of fat

> and protein. Probably they would have had better results had that

> emphasis been eliminated.

>

I noticed that as well. I wrote a post on my blog about it, actually

(http://thehealthyskeptic.org/low-carb-diet-best-for-weight-loss/) where I

hypothesize, as you did, that the results would have been even more favorable

for the

low-carb diet had subjects been counseled to avoid PUFA and choose saturated fat

instead. N-6 fatty acids are known to promote water retention, which of course

adds

weight. Second, n-6 fatty acids are pro-inflammatory. Had the low-carb

subjects

avoided them, their C-reactive protein reduction would have been even greater.