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Low Carb and Mediterranean Diets Best for Weight Loss
July 17, 2008Low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean diet are safe and effective alternatives to low fat diets says study
A two-year study led by researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) finds that low-carbohydrate and Mediterranean diets may be just as safe and effective in achieving weight loss as the standard, medically prescribed low-fat diet, according to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
In the two-year study, 322 moderately obese people were were randomly assigned to one of three diets:
1: A low-fat, calorie-restricted diet;
2: A Mediterranean calorie-restricted diet with the highest level of dietary fiber and monounsaturated/saturated fat;
3: A low-carbohydrate diet with the least amount of carbohydrates, highest fat, protein, and dietary cholesterol. The low-carb dieters had no caloric intake restrictions.
Although participants lowered their total daily calorie intake by a similar amount, net weight loss from the low-fat diet after two years was the lowest of the three diets.
For the low fat diet average weight loss was just 6.5 lbs. Participants on the the low carb and the Mediterranean diets lost 10 lbs, and those on the low carb diet lost 10.3 lbs.
These weight reduction rates are comparable to results from physician-prescribed weight loss medications,” explains Dr. Iris Shai, the lead researcher.
The two-year study is also significant because of the relatively large number of participants coupled with a low drop-out rate – 95 percent were in the study after one year and 85 percent were still participating after the second.
THe low fat diet did not out perform the other diets on other standard measures of health. The low-fat diet reduced the total cholesterol to HDL ratio by only 12 percent, while the low-carbohydrate diet improved the same ratio by 20 percent. Lipids improved the most in the low-carbohydrate, with a 20% increase in the HDL (”good”) cholesterol and, 14% decrease in triglycerides. For diabetic participants, the standard low-fat diet actually increased the fasting glucose levels by 12mg/dL, while the Mediterranean diet induced a decrease in fasting glucose levels by 33mg/dL.
In all three diets, inflammatory and liver function biomarkers was equally improved.
“Clearly, there is not one diet that is ideal for everyone,” Shai concludes. “We believe that this study will open clinical medicine to considering low-carb and Mediterranean diets as safe effective alternatives for patients, based on personal preference and the medical goals set for such intervention. Furthermore, the improvement in levels of some biomarkers continued until the 24-month point, although maximum weight loss was achieved by 6 months. This suggests that healthy diet has beneficial effects beyond weight loss.”
