Over time, consuming fewer carbohydrates can slow weight gain. Reducing carbs alone, however, is insufficient.
According to a report published on Wednesday in JAMA Network Open, an analysis of data from nearly 125,000 healthy adults showed that cutting back on animal-based fats and proteins and substituting whole grain foods for refined carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, or sugary cereals) appeared to reduce the amount of weight gain over four years.
The senior author of the study, Dr. Qi Sun, is an associate professor in the nutrition and epidemiology departments at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She believes that quality is crucial when it comes to a low-carb diet. People need to focus on eating high-quality carbs.
What exactly are good carbohydrates?
Whole grains can be found in whole-grain breads, pastas, and oats.
fats derived from vegetable oils, but not from tropical oils with a high saturated fat content, such as coconut or palm.
Plant-based proteins are found in soy, beans, and nuts.
Fruits.
veggies.
According to Sun, it’s recommended to avoid processed and red meats, white flour, refined cereals, and saturated fats.
Fish and poultry would be the finest sources of animal protein, he said.
The current study adds to the mounting body of data showing that diets high in plant-based proteins and lipids, together with nutritious carbs, are linked to noticeably slower long-term weight gain.
Sun and colleagues used three databases to examine the effects of dietary choices: the Nurses’ Health Study, which included 121,700 female nurses between the ages of 30 and 55; the Nurses’ Health Study II, which included 116,340 female nurses between the ages of 25 and 42 at the beginning; and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
Sun and his colleagues analyzed 123,332 men and women without any chronic medical issues.
Low-carb diets like paleo, Atkins, or keto were not the focus of the researchers’ investigation.
According to Sun, Americans typically eat a diet that is between 50% and 60% carbs. Typically, 30% to 40% of a low-carb diet is made up of carbohydrates.
The researchers evaluated the nutritional value of people’s diets and categorized them according to the results:
low-carb diet based on animals (ALCD).
A low-carbohydrate diet centered on vegetables (VLCD).
The healthy low-carbohydrate diet (HLCD) places a strong emphasis on healthy fats, plant-based proteins, and a reduction in refined carbohydrates.
Unhealthy low-carbohydrate diet (ULCD): this diet placed a strong emphasis on processed foods like bread and cereal, animal proteins, and bad fats.
Throughout the four-year trial, the researchers discovered that patients gained less weight when they made dietary improvements. For instance, those in the healthy low-carb group who saw the biggest improvements in their diets gained, on average, 2.1 pounds less than those in the group that saw the least improvements. There was a connection between quicker weight gain and the two animal protein-based groups.
According to Dr. Sahar Takkouche, an obesity specialist and assistant professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, the study demonstrates that quality counts while following a low-carb diet. Making healthier decisions is essential to improved weight control.
However, depending on how they’re delivered, even healthy options can turn out to be unhealthy. According to Sun, popcorn is a healthy whole-grain option unless it’s heavily coated with butter, sugar, or salt.
However, Takkouche noted that there are certain limits to the research.
Since white women made up the majority of the participants, it’s unclear if the results would hold for other demographics. Furthermore, the weights and dietary data relied on self-reports, which are subject to error.
However, according to Samaneh Farsijani, a registered dietician in the epidemiology department of the School of Public Health at the University of Pittsburgh, the research is examining a topic that hasn’t been studied before the specific foods in a low-carb diet that helps slow long-term weight gain.
It’s emphasizing to people that while sticking to a low-carb diet is important, what matters more is what they choose to eat, according to Farsijani. The focus on a low-carb, healthful diet is what I find most appealing about this study.