If weight loss were a sprint, the low carb diet plan would win
hands down. It is not completely certain why people lose weight
faster on low carb diets, although one of the most likely explanations
is that they are better at suppressing appetite for a time, making
it easier to achieve the ultimate goal of all diets, cutting calories.
However, results from two studies summarized in the August issue
of the Harvard Health Letter show that with regards to weight
loss, low carb and low fat diets end up in a statistical tie after
a year.
In the first study, published last year, the low carb diet plan
spurted ahead of their low fat counterparts during the first six
months, only to regain pounds in the next six. In the second study,
published earlier this year, the low carb group kept off the pounds,
but the low fat group caught up with them by continuing to lose
weight.
However, because obesity can be a lifelong issue for many people,
the August issue advises that longer studies are needed to examine
long-term weight loss progress of both diets, not just results
for a year.
As for the health effects, chief objections to low carb diet
planhave been that they can increase levels of “bad”
LDL cholesterol. But both year-long studies found that the low
carb and low fat diet plans had the same effect on LDL levels.
And low carb diets outdid low fat diets with respect to other
blood fats related to heart disease.
