Study: It doesn’t matter if you cut fat or carbohydrates to lose weight –

what is best for to lose weight: eat less carbohydrate or fat? It’s the same thing. This is what a study by the Faculty of Medicine at Stanford University, in the United States, published in the respected scientific journal JAMA in 2018.

“We’ve all heard the story of a friend who made a diet and it worked really well. Then, someone else tried to do the same diet and it didn’t work out so well”, comments the main author of the research, Christopher Gardner, in a press release. “This happens because we are very different and we are beginning to understand the reasons for all this diversity. Maybe we shouldn’t ask ‘what’s the best diet?’, but ‘what is the best diet for you?’”.

To better understand this scenario, Christopher and his team recruited 609 volunteers (half male and half female), all aged between 18 and 50. Participants were randomly divided into two groups: one that followed a low-fat diet carbohydrate and another that reduced the amount of ingested fat. Both classes were instructed to follow their respective dietary patterns for one year.

Early in the investigation, the scientists also looked at the individuals’ genetic and metabolic predisposition to respond to diets. The volunteers underwent DNA tests and insulin levels were measured.

Over 12 months

For the first eight weeks of the study, participants limited their daily consumption of carbohydrates or fats to just 20 grams – the equivalent of 1½ slices of whole-wheat bread or a generous handful of nuts.

From the second month onwards, men and women gradually increased their intake of the two nutrients until reaching amounts they could maintain for the rest of their lives. At the end of a year, supporters of low carb they ate, on average, 132 grams of carbohydrates per day; followers of a low-fat menu consumed 57 grams of the macronutrient daily. To get an idea, before the research, these values ​​were 247 grams of carbohydrate and 87 grams of fat per day.

And it wasn’t just the size of the plate that changed with the study – the participants’ food choices improved a lot. “We told everyone that, regardless of what diet they were following, they should go to street markets and not stores that only sell processed products”, says Christopher.

Another guideline given by scholars to volunteers: eat in quantities that would not make them hungry. “Otherwise, it is difficult to follow a long-term diet”, he ponders.

everyone in the same

After a year, both classes had the same average weight loss: -5.8 kg. In addition, the authors found that the genetics of each one and insulin levels are not determinant in the success of the diet – contrary to what previous research has shown.

“This study puts an end to some questions – but creates others”, evaluates Christopher Gardner, who intends to continue the investigations to understand which factors, in fact, weigh in the weight loss process.

Furthermore, the tip to eliminate unwanted kilos is simple: have a diet that is as natural as possible. “eat less sugar, less refined flour and as much vegetables as possible”, recommends the specialist. That’s what the study participants did. “In both groups, people told us that we not only helped them lose weight but also changed their relationship with food for the better,” he says. And let’s agree that this is much more valuable than seeing the number on the scale decrease, right?