Posted on 06/06/2011 6:53:29 AM PDT by decimon
A modest reduction in consumption of carbohydrate foods may promote loss of deep belly fat, even with little or no change in weight, a new study finds. Presentation of the study results will be Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.
When paired with weight loss, consumption of a moderately reduced carbohydrate diet can help achieve a reduction of total body fat, according to principal author Barbara Gower, PhD, a professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
"These changes could help reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, stroke and coronary artery disease," Gower said, noting that excess visceral, or intra-abdominal, fat raises the risk of these diseases.
Gower and her colleagues conducted the study, with funding from the National Institutes of Health, in 69 overweight but healthy men and women. Subjects received food for two consecutive eight-week periods: first a weight maintenance intervention, and then a weight loss intervention, which cut the number of calories that each person ate by 1,000 each day.
Subjects received either a standard lower-fat diet or a diet with a modest reduction in carbohydrates, or "carbs," but slightly higher in fat than the standard diet. The moderately carb-restricted diet contained foods that had a relatively low glycemic index, a measure of the extent to which the food raises blood glucose levels. This diet consisted of 43 percent calories from carbohydrates and 39 percent calories from fat, whereas the standard diet contained 55 percent of calories from carbohydrates and 27 percent from fat. Protein made up the other 18 percent of each diet.
At the beginning and end of each study phase, the researchers measured the subjects' fat deep inside the abdomen and their total body fat using computed tomography (CT) and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans.
After the weight maintenance phase, subjects who consumed the moderately carb-restricted diet had 11 percent less deep abdominal fat than those who ate the standard diet. However, when the researchers analyzed results by race, they found it was exclusive to whites. Whites have more deep abdominal fat than Blacks even when matched for body weight or percent body fat, and may benefit from loss of this metabolically harmful depot, Gower said.
During the weight loss phase, subjects on both diets lost weight. However, the moderately carb-restricted diet promoted a 4 percent greater loss of total body fat, Gower said. "For individuals willing to go on a weight-loss diet, a modest reduction in carbohydrate-containing foods may help them preferentially lose fat, rather than lean tissue," she said. "The moderately reduced carbohydrate diet allows a variety of foods to meet personal preferences."
“You will lose fat only if your caloric expenditure exceeds your caloric intake”
Nope. You can eat significantly MORE calories if you drop the grains. While your way does work, definitely (see “biggest loser”), the paleo way works also and is healthier. Should you exercise? Absolutely. But you will still lose fat by dropping grains and sugars (and fake sugars).
You are right. This is the basis of The paleo diet.
Atkins should get credit for doing something right. We definitely need to get the truth about eating to the public. Forget low fat. Go No Grain.
What KIND of high cholesterol? LDL? HDL? VLDL? TOTAL? I now have what my doc called cholesterol RATIO’s to die for...meaning people would LOVE to have my ratio’s, even though my total level rose a little...how’d I do it? By eating mostly protein, fat, and veggies. (Kind of caveman diet/mediterranean diet mix) Oh, and I’m not hungry all the time anymore, either. I even changed one cholesterol level (LDL, I think) from “small, dense,” to “large, buoyant”...something a previous doc told me could not happen, because he said my level was “hereditary.” Oh, and be sure to eat organic or grassfed protein, eggs, etc. It DOES matter.
MY doctor prescribed to ME the CAVEMAN diet...it is even more restrictive than ATKINS.....I’d suggest you quit making generalizations.....my doc happens to be a well known MD and ND....so don’t go there, either. Different people have different needs.
This is correct, Yaelle. Before going Paleo, I was consuming anywhere from 1800-2200 calories/day. I was eating real food (nothing processed), plus grains. When I went Paleo, I dropped the grains and upped my intake of healthy fats (pastured butter, coconut oil, plus whatever fats are in pastured chicken & grass-fed beef). My daily caloric intake went up to 3000 calories. Keep in mind, that I wasn’t trying to lose weight. Within 3 months, I dropped 25 lbs. For the next 6 months, I’ve eaten the same amount and maintained what is logically my optimum weight. My exercise level is the same as it was pre-Paleo. Bottom line... eliminate and/or minimize the neolithic agents of disease... added sugar/fructose/N6 oils/grains. I’m personally on a high-fat/moderate protein/low-carb diet, because I like the way it makes me feel. Otherwise, Paleo is not by definition a low-carb lifestyle.
Your previous doc was probably referring to hypercholesterolemia, which a small percentage of the population has. Most people absolutely have the ability to improve their cholesterol ratios, including manipulating the makeup of their LDL from “small/dense” to “large/puffy.” Raising HDL levels is pretty easy, too. As for lowering one’s triglycerides, it’s very easy to do via the right diet. Again, the trick is to eliminate/minimize the neolithic agents of disease... added sugar/fructose/N6 oils/grains. The rest... fat/protein/carb (from fruit/veggies) percentages... is all commentary, depending on the individual.
You know, I have no clue. I’ll have to ask my sister. Both my parents are gone.
Bacon, baby, bacon.
Ha ha, just kidding, kinda...
There are plenty of things to eat on a low-carb diet. Entire websites are devoted to recipes that help you to avoid carbs while your diet remains tasty and nutritious.
You would be amazed at what you can do with egg whites and almond flour.
You haven’t lived until you’ve tasted my white-chocolate cheesecake with almond-flour crust and sour cream topping. It’s indistinguishable from the “real thing.”
And many more.
He died because he FELL and HIT HIS HEAD.
http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/atkinsdiet/a/dratkinsdeath.htm
Own your mistake.
No...he wasn’t talking about hypercholesterolemia....but he is my FORMER doctor...GRIN. I laugh when people tell others to “check with their doctor”....most doctors are trained in drugs....not solutions...especially in things like cholesterol
I believe people are DIFFERENT.....sure energy intake and expense is a factor....but, some people can exercise a LOT and still NOT see results....while cutting back on calories....it depends upon the TYPE of calories. I come from a family that leans Type2 Diabetic....no one really there, but borderline....we all are active....I’m the “skinniest/healthiest”...why? Less carbs/more protein...I believe DIFFERENT people PROCESS CARBS differently....101 level nutritional physiology aside. My husband is different...he can eat more carbs
Congrats, doctor! I like the way it makes me feel too. It’s made this the healthiest pregnancy I’ve had. My favorite thing about eating paleo is that there is nothing I eat that doesn’t make me full after a small quantity. Some of the grain foods that I used to eat made me crave more and more and never have a stopping point of them. There is nothing to do that to me any more.
I know that I'm coming into this debate a day late, but I do have to say this:
Eleven years ago, it was my DOCTOR that introduced me to Atkins and put me on a ZERO carb diet for 6 straight months to treat PCOS and pre-diabetes.
After a couple of years on a moderate low-carb diet, I am currently back on a very low carb diet. I've lost 25 pounds and my blood work is perfection. I'm healthier than I've been in years. My current doctor is encouraging me to stick with is and gripes at me if I cheat.
MANY in the medical community are coming around to low carb diets. The proof of their benefits are hard to deny.
I'm sorry, but my personal experience with low-carb diets has been so phenomenal that I am one of the many who will never be convinced that they're bad for me.
ME too.....eating more protein helps me get thru a morning exercise routine that I couldn’t do when I ate OATMEAL with some raisins/nuts/banana for breakfast....I’ve been kind of off of it this past 6 months, but am getting back on so I can take off some extra pounds.
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