Low carb diet was popular back in the 1970s when scientific evidence for food benefits and eating patterns were still limited. But amidst that fad on carbs, Robert Atkins published a book that promoted carbohydrate restriction as a "high-calorie way to stay thin forever."
Carbohydrates are present in many foods, including cereals, bread, and those made from grains. Some vegetables and meat are also rich in carbohydrates, alongside processed foods like chips, soft drinks, and fast food products.
Carbohydrate Diet and Weight Loss
CHICAGO - SEPTEMBER 30: French fries wait to be ordered at a fast-food restaurant September 30, 2002 in Chicago, Illinois. Scientists have made progress in understanding the chemical reaction that may cause fries, potato chips and other fried or starchy foods to build up high levels of acrylamide, a suspected carcinogen found in a host of everyday foods. The culprit is believed to be asparagines, a naturally occurring amino acid that can lead to the formation of the potential carcinogen when subjected to high temperatures. Swedish scientists in the spring announced that high levels of acrylamide can be found in many high-carbohydrate foods that are fried or baked at high temperature. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has made assessing acrylamide?s risk and determining how to lower its levels in food a priority.
Today, a low-carb diet is marketed as one of the most effective ways to promote weight loss. The decrease of risk in diabetes and heart problems are among the benefits an individual could enjoy from the particular diet.
A new study published on Cochrane Database Systematic Reviews discovered that long-term low carb dieters lost a kilo compared to other groups. However, the findings mentioned no evidence of health benefits from following a low-carb diet.
The Cochrane review made 61 randomized controlled trials involving 7,000 adult with excess body weight. Within the total subjects, type 2 diabetes was diagnosed in 1,800 individuals, excluding those in the healthy weight range.
In the research, the experts examined the weight-loss diets that included varying carbohydrate contents.
- Low carbohydrate diets - consists of very low-carb foods, also known as the ketogenic diet, which includes fifty grams or fewer carbs that are usually consumed per day (equivalent to less than ten percent of the total energy from carbs), and a low-carb diet that includes 50 to 150 grams per day (less than 45 percent of the total energy from carbs).
- Balanced carbohydrate diets - one hundred fifty grams or more of carbohydrates per day (includes 45 to 65 percent of the total energy from carbs).
Low Carbohydrate vs. Balanced Carbohydrate Diets
According to Science Alert, those who follow the low-carb diet and without type 2 diabetes lost one kilogram or more of their total body weight after sticking to the diet plan for three to 8.5 months.
After one to two years of following a low-carb diet, the average difference in weight loss between those on low-carb versus balanced carb diets was only under one kilogram. However, the average weight lost by groups on any weight-reducing diet varied across the trials from less than one kilogram up to 13 kilograms in others.
Adults with type 2 diabetes lost more weight in a low-carb diet than a balanced carb diet, about 1.3 kilos over three to six months. However, there was no significant difference after a year or two.
The maintenance period for a smaller group after the collective interventions found no difference in weight loss between adults with and without type 2 diabetes.
There were also no significant differences in other health factors such as cholesterol, blood pressure, risk of constipation, and blood sugar control.
The review concluded that both low-carb and balanced-carb diets could work for weight loss.
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